10 Alchemists
by Katzenaugen
Summary: Al has his original body still, Trisha is alive, and Hohenheim is home again. Life seemed happy. Cruel Incidents occur. It were 10 Alchemists, soon one after the other starts to die. [New Summary and new Title] Please Review!
1. Welcome home

**Title**: Welcome home, once again

**Summary**: Al has his original body still, Trisha is alive, and Hohenheim is home again after a while. What will he come home to?

Yet another english fan fic of mine. Reviews are greatly appreciated.

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They had last seen their father one year ago, when Al was 13 and Ed 14. He occasionally went on journeys for a while. Now that summer was about to end and school came closer it was exactly a year since they had last seen their father's face.

"When do you think will he return?" Al asked while putting his green shirt on. Carefully he brushed over it trying to hide the fact it had a few creases.

They shared a room since ever they were young. On the left was Alphonse's bed on the right was Edward's. Behind each bed was a desk.

Tomorrow school was supposed to begin again. None of them really looked forward to that.

"I bet Mum will be happy though once we are back in schoo." Ed commented.

"Why do you think so brother?" the younger brother asked in an inncoent tone.

"Hah. Don't be a fool." He chuckeled. "Obviously Mum would finally have some freedom again once she has the house to herself."

"Hm." Al wasn't sure as to wheter he should believe his brother or not. He decided not to worry about it.

"Alphonse! Edward!" Their mother's voice sounded up the staircase. "Father is going to arrive at the railway station in half an hour. Go get ready!"

"Father is going to come today already!" Edward jumped off his bed and nearly dripped over his jeans he had not yet buttoned up. "Shit!" he yelped crashing to the floor.

"Brother!" Al said in a demanding voice. "Don't swear like that."

"Oh let me be." Ed grunted frustratingly. He got back up from the floor, buttoned up his pants and made his way downstairs along with Al.

So it was time for their Dad to arrive back home. Alphonse was always so happy about that. Ed, on the contrary, could never really share this joy. He had been ok with his dad not being around always. He knew he was busy doing research about whatever stuff it was, but lately it did start to bug him to see an empty chair where his father used to sit. He wasn not a child anymore after all, now simple words like "Daddy is goingto be home soon." and a smile wouldn't fix things anymore this easy. He wasn't satisfied with a single "I'll be home soon." and a pat on his shoulder when his dad once again left their home.

The train station was near. "Dad's train might have arrived already. Let's hurry up." Trisha said and grabbed Alphone's hand. "Oh Al. You aren't a kid anymore." Ed snorted and decided it was best to walk a few meters behind them.

And indeed Hohenheim's train had arrived already. As soon as his figure got visible between all those people roaming around to get to their loved ones and to their cars, Trisha ran up to her beloved husband and hugged him tight.

"Oh see! Don't they look wonderful together like that?" Alphone's asked his eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, whatever." He snorted again and crossed his arms in front of him. He felt embarrassed.

"At least they stopped making out in public." Ed kicked a stone away with his right foot and left the train station.

He sat down on the porch in front on the main entrance. "Now if that isn't my oh-so-grown-up man Edward." His father had approached him from behind and patted his shoulder. "Come on." He said tilting his head to his right. "Let's go home. I brought a few books with me again."

Yeah, the books. He liked reading those. They were about machines and various stuff. The only thing to look forward to other than seeing Mum a lot happier.

"Yeah." He said monotonous and got up.

The door fell shut. Hohenheim brushed off his heavy boots and hung his jacket onto coat stand. Gentleman-like he helped Trisha out of her jacket. She blushed a little even as he did so.

Thouroughly Hohenheim tucked away the books. He intended to hand them over to the kids once they were having dinner.

"You can go stay upstairs for a while. I'll call for you when dinner is ready." Trisha said warmly.

Once they had run upstairs Honheim approached his wife from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist as she stood in front of the stove.

Gently he brushed a few hair stands out of her face and placed a few kisses on her neck. "They have gotten so tall." He said still holding her.

"Yeah. A year can change much, especially now."

Hohenheim just nodded. "And how are they doing? Tormenting your nerves already?" he chuckeled.

"Oh. Well…Not that I noticed." She stuttered.

"You are just ignoring the fact they are growing up. See some evil in them, they wont stay your angels forever." He caressed her cheek while talking.

"Hm. Well, I did see a change in Edward's behaviour. But school is getting stressful lately. He must have been worn out." There wasn't much self-confidence behind her words as Hohenheim noticed.

"I am here now. I will help you deal with the brats." He spun her around and kissed her like in old times.

"Say brother. Why were you so cold today?" Al nagged cleaning his desk.

"What are you cleaning your desk for? Afraid Dad might scold you?" Ed was lying on the bed, hands crossed behind his head.

"No I'm not. And you didn't answer my question."

"I'm not acting any colder than usual Alphonse. You are getting paranoid." Ed retorted.

"If you say so." The younger brother mumbeled.

"Dinner's ready!" their mother's voice called upstairs.

The two boys ran downstairs taking their usual seats. It was weird to Edward seeing the usually so emtpy chair occupied by the man that hadn't been around for a year.

This time their father served the food. Everyone tucked in and soon the plates were as emtpy as they hadn't been in a while.

"Oh my." Hohenheim laughed. "Not only your bodies grew, your hunger did too." He smile dwarmly at them. Alphone's smiled back, Ed though, just focused his plate. The left over broccoli was much more interesting to him.

"Still don't like broccoli any more, hm?" his father asked as he picked up his plate.

"Nope." He retorted shortly and got up from his chair.

"Hey Edward. Stay for some longer. Remember, I got books with me again." Hohenheim smiled over his back. A red cloth hanging over his shoulder.

"Yeah alright." Ed went back to take a seat again and waited patiently.

Trisha got up to clean the dishes but her husband called her back. "Oh darling. Stay here. I will clean the dishes afterwards. Come and stay with us." He leant over the chair's arm and peaked into the kitchen.

"Yeah ok ok." She came back into the kitchen drying her hands with a cloth.

"So what have you got for us this time?" Al jumped up and down in joy.

"I've found some rare books. An old man gave them to me as a gift. I told him about my lovely two sons waiting at home for me. He said that if they were as knowledge-seeking as I am, they would sure be happy to get their hands on those books." He smiled.

"So what are they about?" Ed asked. Now even he grew curious. "I've been doing research on alchemy as you might know. So that's what those books are about. Simple, easy alchemy so far. Of course there is more to it than you can ever read in a book. But I hope you will like them."

And indeed their necks grew larger as their father stirred in a bag for 4 books.

He handed them over to the boys sitting on the opposite side of the table.

"Have fun reading." He cheered.

"We will. Thanks Dad!" Al ran around the table to give his dad a warm hug. Edward, though, remained quietly on his chair.

Trisha looked a little sad seeing that Edward wouldn't hug his father. Hohenheim noticed her look and gently wrapped his arm around her and gestured her to forget about it.

They stood up from the table and made their way upstairs again. Just as Edward turned round the corner his dad called for him. "Edward."

"Yes?" he turned round in his heels to face his father.

"May I talk with you for a moment?"


	2. Picking up Women

They went into the living room and both sat down on the large cream coloured couch. Hohenheim cleared his throat and leaned forwards, his elbows rested on his knees.

"So what is it?" Ed asked impatiently.

"So aversed to talk with your old man?" he chuckeled.

"S-Sorry." The younger one apolgized.

"Well, what was your journey like, dad?" Ed tried to get the conversation going.

"Ah, there is a lot I could tell you. I'd rather be waiting for Alphonse and your mother to be around too to tell everything." he started playing with his fingers.

"Ok Ed. This attempt failed." Ed told himself a little frustrated.

"I actually asked you to talk with me because of something else." He began.

Ed still had no clue what he wanted. Hohenheim took a deep breath in and continued. "I know you are hitting a difficult age now."

"Just what is he trying to get at?" Ed wondered. Finally it snapped. "No way! No thanks Dad!" Edward jumped off the couch and headed to the door ready to leave.

Hohenheim being taller just needed to take a step forward and was already next to Ed grabbing his shirt's neck. Gently he pulled him back and said "It's not _that_. Not yet at least. Just sit down again." He let go of Edward's shirt and pointed over to the couch for him to sit.

"And you are not-!"

"No." Hohenheim interrupted gently.

"G-Good." The younger one stuttered.

Hohenheim took one last glimpse at his son to make sure would not run away any second again and began talking "Me and your mother thought about getting you your own room. I'm sure you and Al want your private shpere sooner or later."

Ed recalled his father's words.

"Does this appeal to you Edward?" he asked smiling at him.

"Yes it does." Ed smiled back for the first time today since ever his dad came home.

"Well well, then. Go get ready for bed. You've got school tomorrow. Once you are home we will talk about your room. If I'm not mistaken the attic should be habitable."

"The attic!" Edward gasped. It appealed greatly to him to be living in the attic.

"Yes, if you don't mind."

"Of course I don't." Ed smiled again. His father couldn't help but smile back.

"Well then, go get some sleep. It's pretty late already and I'm tired from my journey." He stood up and stretched his long arms out to the ceiling. "We will talk about this again with your mum tomorrow."

Ed walked upstairs quietly so he would not wake his little brother who would most likely already have fallen into deep slumber.

The door creaked as Edward creeped inside.

"You took long to come upstairs brother." Alphonse commented as he saw Edward coming inside.

"Yes yes I know. Are you reading Dad's books already?" He asked jumping onto Al's bed. He leant over Al's shoulder to read with him.

"It seems complicated, yet based on the laws of nature. Really interesting. Why don't they teach such stuff at school?" Al frowned.

Both lied in Al's bed laughing.

Hohenheim and Trisha had passed by and stopped in front of the door listening to their children laugh. Gently he pulled his wife close and hugged her. "It seems like just a few days ago that I helped Alphonse walk. And now…now he is already 14." He chuckeled and led Trisha to their room.

He sat down on the comfortable bed. "It's been a while since I last slept on such a nice bed."

Hohenheim leant back into his pillow and started unbuttonening his shirt.

"I bet it has been a while since you last had a woman sleeping next to you too." Trisha smiled and ran a finger down his chest. Hohenheim smirked and rolled onto Trisha. "It has been long since I had any bed activity too."

"Oh darling! The kids are still awake." She whispered.

"So what? They know what sex is about, don't they." He nibbeled on her bottom lip gently.

"Of course they do…" she giggeled and started to kiss him.

Warm skin pressing against each other. She felt him sliding off her clothes. Her skin felt like burning.

The alarm clock went off. "Damn!" Ed's hand flung over the bed's egde hitting the alarm clock so it fell off the table onto the floor. The alarm kept roaring though.

Ed stood up grunting and frustrated it was Monday already. He stomped around the floor to make the alarm clock shut up.

"Brother!" Al yelled

"What! If it's your crotch annoying you, not my problem. You've got to live with that." Ed grunted picking up the alarm clock and placing it back on the desk.

Al sweatdropped. "Euhm…actually I just wanted to tell you that mum had just called for breakfast."

"Oh." Ed felt a little uneasy now.

"But what were _you_ talking about?" Al asked curiously.

"Nevermind! We'd better not let mum wait." With these words Ed ran out of the room and straight down into the kitchen.

Al was left with questions decided to follow his brother and not worry about it though.

"Good morning." Ed announced as he took a seat.

"I will take you to school today." His father spoke inarticulately with his mouth was full with toast..

"Morning Alphonse." Trisha smiled and served some more orange juice. "Anything wrong with you hunny?" she asked a little worried.

Ed's eyes grew slightly bigger and he stopped with his toast halfway. He squinted over to his brother.

"No, nothing really." Al sat down and grabbed for some toast too.

Ed was relieved.

"Alright. Take care on your way home and have a nice day at school." Their Dad waved goodbye as they left the car.

"Sure old man, we will." Ed grunted and poked his brother to hurry up. "Hey Al. Get moving."

Hohenheim drove away as suddenly a woman jumped into his car. Tires sreeched. He jumped out of the car and rushed to the lady's aid. "Are you ok?"

"Yes yes I am." She stood up collapsed again though.

"Wait. Lean onto me." He lent her a hand and brought her to his car to sit down for a while.

"I have to say you are a pretty handsome man." The woman chuckeled. "Maybe I'm lucky to have ran into you."

Her eyes met his wedding ring. "Obviously, the best ones are always taken." She laughed rubbing her ankle.

"Should I bring you to a doctor maybe?" he asked looking at her ankle.

"Oh no it's ok. But maybe you could bring me home." She asked politely.

"Hm, you know what? Just stay at my place until you feel better. My wife has good ointment for your sprained ankle." He smiled and closed the door of the front-seat passenger.

"Oh you are too generous." She said blushing a little.

They arrived home and Hohenheim brought her inside explaining ti his wife why he brought a woman home.

Just a few hours later Edward stood in the door.

"What the hell is this woman in our living room doing?" Ed asked chewing on the wooden part of the little spit where fruits had been on.

"I'd rather ask you what the hell you are doing here." His father looked down at him his hands on his hips.

"I am suspended from school." He retorted in a calm cool voice walking down his father.

"You are _what_!" Hohenheim yelled.

He grabbed his forhead and sighed.

"In case the likes of you cares, this woman sitting in our living room is Amanda and she ran into my car today." Hohenheim explained rather annoyed.

"Oh so this is how you get the woman nowadays. Is mum not enough. I heard you two yesterday." He shuddered still chewing on the spit.

"Shut up you little brat and hand me the letter your school gave you."

Ed reached into his pocket and brought out a little wrinkled-up letter. His dad frowned at the sight of this and snatched the letter out his hand as if he was fearing he would set it on fire any second.

Thouroughly he read through it. Without looking up he folded his hands in front of his face and sighed once again.

"Hey Dad. Doesn't mum mind if you bring a woman home?" Ed still had the same laid-back attitude but gave up chewing on the spit and had some orange juice instead.

"No your mother doesn't mind." Hohenheim said as calm as he could.

"It's because she loves you, yeah?" Ed asked in a way that made love seem almost ridiculous.

His father just sighed.

"Yeah I get it. I don't understand love yet." Edward turned round and left the kitchen.

"Why did it just have to sound as if he was making fun of me." Hohenheim frowned resting his forehead on the table banging it a few times.

"Alright I'm over it." He sighed as Amanda came into the room.

"Having trouble with your son?" she asked giggling a little.

"Does it seem that way?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well anyways, your ointment helps a lot."

"I'm glad" he smiled. His smile seemed fake though and vanished in a minute.

"Mind me asking what the letter said?" she asked once again in her politest way.

"Not at all." He reached over the table to grab the letter again.

"Dear Mr and Mrs Elric.

I'm writing you to report your son's, Edward Elric, poor good behaviour. We were willing to overlook a couple of incidents in the past, but due to those incidents piling up lately I would like to ask you to meet up with me tomorrow 3 pm.

We can not tolerate his obstreperous behaviour and fights anymore.

Yours sincerely,

Prof. Martha Parkins."

"Oh, sounds bad." She said in a thinking pose.

"Come to think of it. I was away for a year and arrived back home yesterday and I'm already stuck in this mess." He frowned even more.


	3. Coming home to hell

Thanks for your reviews. :) I appreciate them. Please keep reviewing, shows me that you are still interested in updates and into this story.

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Hohenheim knocked onto the door.

"May I come in?" he asked.

"Yes." The boys voice grunted.

"Edward. We need to talk. And I mean a serious-"

Ed jumped off his bed and backed away. "I told you old man, NO WAY!" he yelled furiously.

Hohenheim sighed. "Actually I just meant to talk about that letter you brought home today."

Silence filled the air.

"Oh." Ed calmed down eventually and sat on his chair. His dad went to sit on Al's bed.

"Apparently, whatever accoured today occurs more often." He began once again folding his hands in front of him.

"I know…" Ed said looking away. "But it's actually the others picking fights, mostly on Al and obviously I protect him."

"Oh, so it's about Al." Hohenheim looked up. "That changes the picture a little. But wont change the fact you are behaving obstreperous lately."

"Dad…which 15-year-old is not acting that way?" Ed asked smirking a little.

"I…" he dropped his hands standing up. "I…."

"I give up." A sigh escaped his lips and he left the room. He turned round again and looked into the door. "Being 15 is no justfification for…." Ed slammed the door shut.

"…for acting obstreperous." He continued standing in front of the shut door. Hohenheim couldn't believe it, his own son just threw him out of the room, his own son.

"No actually, old man, you can't believe you _let_ him throw you out." Once again he frowned.

"Oh euhm, Mr Elric?" Hohenheim's head spun around aiming for the direction the voice had come from.

"Yes?"

"Could you please bring me home?" she asked politely as ever and smiled.

"Oh of course." He rubbed the back of his head and led her to his car.

Meanwhile Al had arrived home too and helped Trisha prepare lunch.

The door slam shut again and Hohenheim brushed off his coat. He looked worn out and a little frustrated.

"Everything ok darling?" Trisha cheered and started serving lunch. "Edward!" she yelled up the staircase.

"Y-yes." Hohenheim retorted thudding into the chair.

Edward came down the stairs and sat next to Alphonse. Noone spoke a lot while they were sitting at the table. 3 pm neared and Hohenheim packed his things and his two sons and got ready to leave. He swung his coat over his shoulders and kissed his wife good bye.

Edward looked away protestignly.

Finally they reached their school. Ed sighed and grunted "NowI even have to get back here when classes are already over."

"Just shut up and move." Hohenheim said coldly and shut the door behind his son.

"Say brother. I still don't understand what you meant earlier, when you asked me wheter my crotch might be bothering me." Al asked curiously.

"Just cut it out, yeah!" Ed yelled playfully punching his side and running off to the building.

Al rubbed his arm. Their father just laughed. "I'll tell you about that later. We'd better not let the teacher wait."

They waited inside. Chairs were rowed on the window's side for the parents to sit on. There were already a lot waiting. As the took a few steps towards the middle of the room someone waved and called "Mr. Elric! I'm here."

They turned around to where the voice had come from just to find Amanda waving at them and pointing at a few empty seats next to her.

"Oh Thank you Amanda, but you didn't need to." Hohenheim smiled rubbing the back of his head.

"Ah it's ok. That's the least I could have done after what you did for me." She smiled at Hohenheim in a weird way. Almost as if she was trying to flirt. Ed pushed those thoughts away and concentrated ona couple of girls talking about the latest make-up it seemed. At least they squealed after every third word they said and gestured with their hands in their face.

Time did not want to pass and after an hour everyone grew impatient. Suddenly a filthy dressed young looking woman came out of one of the doors and announced that Prof. Parkins had an accident on her way here.

The parents grunted in annoyance and got ready to leave.

"Oh hey." Amanda grabbed his arm. "What if we still go for some coffee?" she smiled and did not let go of his arm. Therefore, he had no other chance than agreeing to the offer and drinking some coffee with the brunette woman. In order to seduce him some more she twirled one of her locks around her finger looking into his eyes. Hohenheim was starteled and agreed.

"Dad you are a loser." Ed grunted, hands crossed in front of him, as they got back into the car heading for the café Amanda suggested.

Ed and Al had a separate desk from the adults.

"So, you still did not tell me your last name I just realized. May I ask what it is?" Hohenheim asked stirring in his coffee.

"Oh it's Huber. I'm from Germany originally." She smiled once again fondling on her skirt.

"Oh really? I have just returned from some alchemy research from Germany." He took a sip from his coffee and placed the cup back on the plate.

"Alchemy, interesting." She nodded and eyed him closely.

"Well we'd better not leave your wife waiting any longer." She grinned and reached for her coat.

"I'd be glad if we could meet again sometime for a coffee or two. I have some poor knowledge about alchemy too." She explained and left some money on the table for the waitress.

"Of course. Here I'll give you our phone number." He reached into the inside of his coat and pulled out a little card.

"Alright." She cheered and left to the other direction.

Hohenheim went to pick his sons up and left for the car.

"So so…Had fun flirting with te lady?" Ed smirked at his dad.

"I did not flirt Edward. There's a difference. Adults don't necessarily need to be flirting of they meet up for a chat. Unlike your age groups it seems to me."

"Yeah, sure." Edward chuckeled and looked out of the window.

It was already close to getting dark when they finally pulled up to their house.

Surprisingly there were no lights on. "Your mother must be watching some horror movies. No way she could sleep yet."

He locked the car and made his way to the entrance door his sons following him.

"Hey Dad." Al had kneeled onto the porch. "See this?"

His dad lit a lamp standing nearby and held it up to Alphonse to see what he was looking at.

"Bloodstains?" he asked. "Hah. The cats must have been fighting here again. Don't worry."

A scream came from inside of the house. Hohenheim rushed inside just to find his son kneeling on the floor in shock.

"What the ?" he yelled.

Blood was spilled on the floor to their left where it led to the kitchen. Imprints of a hand clinging onto the floor were visible. It looked as though someone was dragged away on the floor. A few hand prints were on the wall to their left. Hohenheim moved his hand over the prints. "No doubt. Those are your mother's prints."

"I'll go get the police!" Alphonse yelled and sped up from the floor.

"No!" his father held him back grabbing his arm tightly. "No police."

"But why?" Al asked tears running down his red cheeks.

"The police will only make it worse." He said calm and quiet. "If I'm not mistaken it might have to do with my journey."

Ed's eyes grew wide.

"Men, we will need to do some research without anyone finding out. Of those that capture your mother find out, it will not only be her that they kill."

"How can you just wait so patiently?" Edward yelled and clenched his fists.

"Because I know who _they_ are."


	4. First hint

„Who are they!" Edward yelled furiously. „Who are those bastards that have captured my mum?"

His father stepped over the puddle of blood and reached for a cloth to wipe the floor.

Ed froze at the sight of blood dripping of the soaked cloth as his dad wringed it out over a bucket.

"They, you ask?" his father looked like traumatized.

"They…are an organization called "Der Bund". A german organization. They original purpose served to study alchemy. But what was hidden beneath, the purpose that it had served hundreds of years ago was about to seek through again to the top. Only a few had actually access to what were actually the roots of "Der Bund"."

"So, what was this purpose then? What did those people do?" Al asked. He had sat down next to his father and helped him clean the floor.

"Experiments on humans. Cruel sacrifces. Cross-breeding. Anything one can think of. They had the skills, the knowledge and the power."

"Power, you say?" Ed pushed further on the matter. He was more than only curious as to what those people really did.

"You know. People thought of them as being wise, bound to god and the miracles of nature. But actually, they were nothing but men, that took anything as possible. They often met up near churches or in old wine cellars. Anywhere where it was dark and noone could disturb."

He wrenched out the cloth again.

"Why are you sure they wont kill mum?" Al mumbeled to his right.

"Because." He wrapped an arm tight around his son."I used to be in this organization. And I believe that someone is trying to bring it to a fall and now they do anything they can to take revenge on those that quit. Quitting was a hard procedure, but I did it for the sake of myself, for my sanity. I've seen many go insane there, many falling into serious depressions. If you think the battlefield alone is cruel already, you have not seen yet what a human can do with his own hands."

He got to his feet again and poured the bucket full of blood into the basin.

"This organization goes back to the days where women were still burned for being witches, or so people believed. Their religious belief is stronger than any I have ever seen. Some refer to them as "The Crimson Monks". If possible to trace them back to their roots, it could only be done through thourough research and a lot of luck. It's like a game you play. With every step you get closer you get a step closer to death too. Whoever you associate with might already be dead by tomorrow."

"You will try to save her wont you!" Ed yelled.

"Of course." Hohenheim smiled.

"Alright!" Al jumped to his feet "Well then, where to start, we are ready!"

"Ohoho." Hohenheim laughed quietly. "I doubt-"

"We will help you dad. We are not kids anymore. You can't expect us to sit and wait." Ed interrupted.

Their father sighed and dropped the bloody cloth into the basin. "Yes yes I figured you aren't kids anymore. If that's the case. Help me. But keep in mind. From here on now, you should not rely on what you were taught to believe anymore. There is nothing like a law to someone who doesn't want to abide it."

"So where are we going to start?" Ed asked full of energy.

"First off we will go to bed and sleep."

"And tomorrow?" asked Al who had ran up to his father.

Hohenheim took the first few steps upstairs and then turned around facing the floor.

"Then, we will wait for them to give us the first hint. Only those that accept the path they are led on, will also get the chance to start the game." Hohenheim said camly and turned around again to climb the rest of stairs.

His sons followed him upstairs and went to bed in their rooms.

"Edward?" Al asked as they lied in bed.

"Yes?"

"What do you think they did to Mum?" he asked.

Ed twitched a little. "I hope, nothing bad. Go sleep now. If what Dad said is as bad as he meant to make it sound, we wont have it easy on solving this puzzle." Edward rolled onto his side. "Good night."

It was early in the morning that Hohenheim had awaken. He could not sleep when he was left in the unknown about his wife.The bed felt so empty. He missed warm skin agains this, missed her gently kisses. The smile that woke him up every morning, that smile that greeted him and made him feel good.

Absent-minded he carried himself down the stairs and sat down in the empty kitchen. Scars of yesterday still tainted the room.

It knocked.

Hohenheim got up and dragged himself to the main door.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"It's me, Colonel Mustang."

"Mustang, eh?" he repeated and opened the door greeting him warmly. "Now what the hell is driving you here?" he smiled.

"I can not stay for long. I thought it would be best to deliver this letter to you personally."

Hohenheim sighed and shut the door behind the Colonel. "So it really is them."

"Is whom?" Roy repeated.

"Der Bund." He whispered. "Those that captured my wife. The game has begun." He dragged himself to the couch and thudded onto it. Mustang took a seat right on the opposite.

"You say, those who you have been working for are now out to ruin you? I can not believe that."

Hohenheim chuckeled.

"You'd better believe it." He looked over to the doorframe straight into the kitchen where the bloody hand prints were still left untouched.

"See those prints over there?"

"Yes I noticed." Said Roy looking onto the floor. "Did they leave you any message it was truly them? I've heard of cases where they do."

Hohenheim chuckeled once again. "They do not always leave the same message as you call it or traces. After all, they do not want to be associated with these "sudden" dissapearings or "sudden" deaths."

Both paused for a moment.

"Well then, how are the kids dealing with it?" Roy asked leaning back.

"They are dealing better with it than I imagined them to. I should have known that this peace would not stay. Their organization just couldn't last forever." The blonde said bitter.

"I will help you." Roy said sternly closing his eyes.

"What?" Hohenheim snapped out of his daydreams. "Hah. Don't be reckless. I can't even garantuee I will survive this. No way I want to drag you into that." He took the glass standing on the couch table and began twirling it a little watching the liquid inside.

"I've been after this organization for a while. Besides, if there is any way to help you, I will. Not as the Colonel, but as a friend." He smiled softly.

"Thanks a bunch. To be honest, I've been waiting for these words. I can not bear with this on my own. I don't want to drag my kids into this too deep. I will merely let them do the outside research. Nothing that will lead them to any places. You should be aware of how deep this does actually reach." He raised his eyes from the glass and faced the man sitting opposite.

"Yes, I very well do. But tell me, what do you expect this letter to say?" Mustang asked curiously.

"Honestly, I would not know. Neither do I dare to guess. I suppose we should just open it and see ourselves." He reached for the wooden-coloured paper and started to rip it open exposing a white letter.

Thouroughly he opened the letter and started to read.

"Just as I thought." He sighed. "They know I'm a former of them. This is an old graphic way of writing. I know a little of it, but in no book other than the hidden scrolls they hold dear themselves you would find the accurate translation. There are many rumors as to what this can be translated to, yet they are all wrong." He folded his hands in front of him.

Hohenheim leant forward and showed the letter to Roy. "See this?" he pointed at one of those dozen symbols. "It means grave. And this in the bottom line stand for letters of our Alphabet. A.R. Initials I believe."

Roy smirked. "What else would one expect of the Great Hohenheim."

"Don't get too cocky over it. Just because we have this few information doesn't prove anything yet. This could be associated in any way. I would need to translate everything to get a short insight as to what their game is going to be like. Still we could do many mistakes. Any step we take might be one forward or backwards. You can not simply say how those things associated with each other. But everything we can do at this point is start searching for a grave with the initials A.R."

"I will head back to Central and search for any deaths. I will be back and report to you as soon as I can." Roy stood up and saluted.

Hohenheim just grinned. "You know…I'm not much in that salutation stuff, buddy." He got up too and hugged Mustang.

"I'll be waiting for you to report to me."

Hohenheim walked into the wall and shut the door behind his friend carefully.

In the meantime his sons had occupied the kitchen.

"Oh Edward, you are cooking breakfast today?" Hohenheim said surprised.

"Yes! I often do it. We never wanted Mum to have the burden of cooking alone." Ed explained and started serving some scrambeled eggs and orange juice.

"Seems a lot more changed in the year I was away than I imagined."


	5. Late Night Visit

Alright I updated. :D Thanks for the reviews, please keep reviewing though, some feedback on my chapters is always nice and shows you people are still interested in my story.

Well then, here we go. Chapter 5.

In the next chapter I will finally start to make it more interesting. Or so I hope.

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The sun had vanished once again and darkness stroke the earth. Just half an hour ago it had started drizzling like mad as someone knocked onto the door.

"I'm coming." Al said opening the door. In the door, stood a pretty drenched Colonel Mustang.

"May I come in?" he asked politely.

"Oh of course." Al stepped aside leaving Roy space to pass past him.

"Where is your dad?" he asked looking around.

"He is down in the office." Al said and took the Colonel's coat.

"Thanks, Al. I'll come back to talk to you two later." She smiled down at him and patted Al's head gently.

The door of the office creaked and was followed by a loud noise of it falling shut.

"I indeed found data on a few people that have the initals A.R." Roy announced holding up a few thick folders.

"Thanks. I did not get out more of this letter, but it might be without value as soon as we haven't figured out about those graves. I'm sure by now that A.R. refers to a grave, to a deaceased person actually."

Hohenheim looked through the folders.

Roy went over to the desk full of papers. To his left was a pile of books with symbols on it. His hand brushed over the cover touching the imprints. He took another look on the mysterious letter.

"Do not bother to find any finger prints or anything. Those people are more accurate than any serial murder." Hohenheim said absent-minded stil searching through the data.

"I think I found something." The blonde held up one of those files up to the Colonel's nose.

"Why this one?" Roy asked taking the file and thumbed through.

"I remember hearing her name. She was one of those that they intended to experiment on. Yet it never came that far. They might have robbed her grave now and use her body for any other purpose. I heard there was something special to her case. I can not recall it though."

"If that's the case, go get ready, we will head there in the minute." Roy said throwing the file back onto the desk rushing to the office door.

"When the weather is this bad?" Hohenheim asked stiffling a yawn.

"When the weather is this bad our traces will be washed away." The raven haired man smirked.

Hohenheim chuckeled. "I guess you still have the bad boy inside you. Let's move then."

Tires slid in the mood as they pulled up to the cemetary's gate. Before Hohenheim could ask how they planned on opening the gates Roy had already reached into his pocket for the key tounlock the gates.

"This way please." Mustang ordered. Hohenheim did as ordered.

It did not take them long to find Amanda Roosevelt's grave.

Roy pointed his torch at the gravestone. "Deceased 1 year ago. Not too long ago then."

"Look at this." Hohenheim pointed onto the stone that was lying above the coffin. "See those scratches? Someone lifted this stone."

Roy nodded. Slipping in the mud and gravel they moved the stone away a few centimeters. A dark brown coffin with golden ornaments appeared. Hohenheim bent down to lift the lid. His eyes widened at the sight of an emtpy coffin. Rain dripped down his face. His lose hairstrands stuck to his face.

"Did it say anywhere in the report that she was beaten up so badly they could not burry her body?" he yelled trying to drown the noise the heavy rain produced.

"Yes I think it did say something about a heavy car accident. Why? What is in there?" Roy asked.

"A finger." Hohenheim retorted shutting the coffin's lid again.

"What are you trying to tell me?" asked Roy back in the car.

"I don't know yet. I need to translate more of the letter. I might just leave this task to my sons. I would like to ask you though, to find information about a certain Mr. Schank. He was one of those that was working on the A.R.-case. I believe he might know something. Once we have managed to find his location we will meet up with him and fill him into this. He is one of the last I can remember working on this case."

"But why is this case so important to us? I thought it's about finding Trisha?" Roy asked.

"I don't really know. But somehow she must be associated with my wife. Maybe there is some hidden similarity." Hohenheim wondered.

Hohenheim walked back into his home. He was tired, cold and hungry. The smile of his beloved little kids might cheer him up a little.

"Edward. Alphonse." He yelled upstairs.

The boys came running. "What's the matter? Any success with the research?" Ed asked.

"Well." Their dad began. "Somewhat. I have a fairly difficult task for you. Come with me."

He led them into his office. After Edward had shut the door Hohenheim reached for a necklace around his neck. A little key was attached to it. Slowly he approached a little box hid under a shelf. Carefully he locked it open. "See those books?" he asked. "They contain translations about various things. Now take this letter over there and translate as much as you can with these books. Keep in mind though, that there is no final solution to any of those symbols. There might be many meanings to it. We don't know what we are searching about, but I suppose it might be some hidden case. Either way." He brushed his hand over the wooden box dusting it off a little. "Report me any little detail, any symbol, any association you can come up with immediately. We'd better not waste too much time."

The boys nodded and grabbed one of those books. They were heavy but had some similarity to alchemy it seemed to them.

"Dad, don't those book have something to do with Alchemy. Just look at the circles and the symbols." Al pointed at a few of them and then back onto the letter.

Hohenheim's heart sank. "Yes yes you are right. I did not see that. Very well done." He stroked Al's hair. "I knew you two are smart." He smiled.

"What I do not understand yet is what those two have in common. I heard that the roots of this organization and experiments started with Alchemy, or at least had something to do with it. This might make our search easier though."

The doorbell rang. "I will go." He gestured them to keep sitting and made his way to the entrance door.

As he opened them a brunette woman in a mini skirt, dressed as if she was about to go out stood in the doorframe.

"Oh Good evening Mr. Huber." He smiled. "Come inside." He held the door open for her.

"I'm sorry to interrupt this late, but I thought since I was around already comong home from a friend's birthday party I might take a look inside. See I even still got some wine with me." She smile and showed him the bottle she had been holding all the time.

"Sit down." He led her into the living room and reached for two wine glasses out of a little shelf behind the couch.

"Noone at home?" she asked looking around.

"Oh. Heh, my sons are doing homework and my wife left for her sister's place for a while. You know, those family meetings." He put a fake smile on and served the glasses.

Hohenheim took a seat next to Amanda and started pouring wine into their glasses. Amanda sat facing the blonde man and eyed him closely. "You never told me anything about your work actually. What is it about? What were your journey's like?" she asked curiously brushing some creased out of her already so short skirt. Smiling she took the glass she was offered and they clinked glasses.

"Even though there is nothing to celebrate. Cheers."

"Oh I suppose there is. I met a smart man and am allowed to let his knowledge rub off on me." She smiled bright and took a sip of her glass.

Half an hour passed and Hohenheim told her about his journey the past year. Three quarters of the bottle had already been drunken up. Hohenheim was still by his senses, the brunette woman on the other hand appeared a little tipsy.

She giggeled and patted his shoulder as he finished telling her more about his life here with his wife and sons.

"Oh yes, they are _so_ cute when they are young." She laughed falling forward a little every now and then.

"Oh." Hohenheim laughed and caught her as she lost balance and nearly fell onto his lap.

"I'm sorry." She stiffeled her laughter and looked up from the position she was in. "I have to say though, it's comfortable here."

Hohenheim smiled down at her and crinked his glass with hers once again.

"You even look really handsome if I'm looking up at you from down here." She giggeled. Slowly she lifted her upper body supporting it with her elbows.

Thunder roared outside as the silence grew inside. Amanda wrapped her left arm around his neck and tickled his neck playfully. Before Hohenheim had any chance to reject her attempts to get closer to him her lips had already pressed against his.

He was like frozen for a minute. She had similarities to Trisha.

When the information that the woman on his lap sliding her hand under his shirt was not his wife in fact, the blonde man gently pulled her hand out and released from the kiss.

"I'm married, Amanda. You might have grown to be a friend to me somewhat but that is everything and will always be everything. Excuse me." He stood up from the couch and paced around in the dimmed living room.

She giggeled once again. It was a pathetic giggle, almost mad. "I am sorry. I guess I lost control."

"Don't worry about it. Let's pretend it never happened." He gazed out of the window watching the rain drizzle onto the window sill.

"Yes. It never happened." She whispered fixing her hair that had fallen out of the firm knot. "It…never happened."


	6. 10 Alchemists

Amanda had left the house and Hohenheim still gazed out the window. He did not even notice his sons approaching him from behind.

"Dad?" Al asked pulling on his sleeve.

"Yes?" he turned around to face them.

"We found something pretty interesting. It's something like a rhyme." Ed explained holding up their research papers.

"10 Alchemists commited a crime, one came home a little too late, then they were only nine." Edward read out loudly.

"Interesting rhyme." Hohenheim twirled his beard between his fingers. His sons looked up to him in awe.

"Well." He smiled. "Let's go get some sleep. We can look further into this tomorrow. Maybe this is just to confuse us."

Al yawned and stretched. None of them had anything against some sleep.

It was about 6 am according to what Hohenheim could read with sleepy eyes on his alarm clock. Someone banged on the door.

"Colonel!" Hohenheim said in shock. "What is leading you here at this unholy hour?"

Roy entered but did not bother to put his coat off. "You asked me to find out where Mr. Schank is right?"

Hohenheim just nodded and offered Mustang a chair, Roy refused though. "What could you find out?"

"He deceased just about 5 hours ago. Stabbed in the back with a knife they could not find."

Hohenheim nodded absent-minded. "I see. Can I see the crime-scene?"

"Of course. I made arrangements that noone would investigate anything yet before we had a look and confiscated what is of use to us."

"And they took it?" Hohenheim raised an eyebrow.

"I managed to make them believe it's a case I investigate on my own." He chuckeled and turned round on his heels ready to leave.

"Come on." Roy ordered. "We'd better get there as soon as we can. I don't know how long I can still push time for."

Mist hung in the valley and the earth was muddy. "It doesn't not seem as if the murderer broke into the house by force. That led me to the assumption that the victim knew it's potential murderer."

Slowly they entered the house. It was a nice white house with a well-groomed garden and many windows to allow light to come into the rooms. Inside most furniture was made of dark wood and plated with gold. Many medals were exhibited.

Then, as they turned in into the office a ouddle of blood got visible close to the big, also dark brown wooded, office desk. The victim was carried away already. The desk's leg where thick and reminded Hohenheim of claws.

He ran his fingers over a few files and papers lying on the desk. Some had fallen to the floor. Carefully and with a handkerchief wrapped around his arm he picked them up and read through them. Some had bloodstains on them.

He imagined his old companion lying behind the desk soaked in blood where now only the puddle was visible.

"Found anything useful?" Roy asked taking a close look at the shelves with medals.

The image of his companion vanished.

"Do you really think he would hide any evidence about _them_ inside here? Hah, no way. I did not expect to find anything helpful here anyway. The only one helpful to us, is dead now."

Roy sighed. "We'd better head home them and try to get our hands on some other helpful material. So far, the letter is our only hope. Could it be that he was killed because he was linked to the incident and _they_ would assume you would ask him for hints?"

"I'm almost sure of that. There is no other reason for him being killed other as for the sake of something big. He was a wise man and helpful. But apparently, great knowledge does kill. Hohenheim dropped the papers back onto the floor watching them float to the ground.

A picture on the left close to the office desk caught Hohenheim's attention. It's frame was light wood instead of the dark wood that was found throughout the whole room.

"This picture doesn't really fit here." He pointed out taking a few steps closer.

"Yes that was the first thing I noticed. Nothing in this house is made from light wood, yet this picture is. We assume the murderer migh thave hung it here after the murder." Roy explained putting his handkerchief away.

"Those people. Looks as if it's a couple meeting or something. In the picture that is. Doesn't really seem like a picture Mr. Schank would have in any of his rooms." The blonde sighed. "But yeah, people change. Solving this murder and _their_ puzzle is top priority."

"What about his body?" Hohenheim asked raising his coat's neck so it would give him some wind protection. They got back into the car. As the door had slam shut Roy began "We will examine the body. I will let you know the results as soon as I can."

"Thanks, my friend."

The raven haired man smiled and pulled up close to his companion's house.

"See you later."

The entrance door slam shut and he threw his wetted coat over the chair's arm. He thudded into the next best chair he could grab. Footsteps sounded next to him. "Dad? Where were you? What did you find out?" his sons asked curiously.

Al, the good boy he was, picked up his father's coat and hung it onto the coat stand.

Hohenheim repeated the recent event.

"The rhyme. Maybe the murder has to do with the rhyme." Ed ha djumped up from his chair and brought his father to read the rhyme once again.

"10 Alchemists": he mumbeled. "10….If I'm not mistaken, there was a group of ten once, they did not stay together for long though. They had some othe project next to the ones everyone had to carry out in the big group. Might those…" his eyes widened. "might those be the ones this rhyme refers to?"

"But if so." Al interrupted "where are the other parts. We only received this single letter and there was only this line on it. The rest was apparently just random, non existant symbols."

"There is nothing like non existant symbols." His father explained absent minded and pathed back and forth in the kitchen. "I believe though, that the hint we are looking for will be found close to the victim."

"So what about investigating his place once more?" Al asked grabbing a bottle of juice and a few glasses.

"Thanks my boy." He said. He brushed some lose hairstrands behind his ear and began talking once again. "We'd better wait for Mustang's report on the examination. Maybe that will help us. After all, those people working in the organization, were not only skilled alchemists, they were skilled doctors too."

"Was there anything else suspicious there maybe?" Ed asked pouring some juice in each of the glasses.

"No." Hohenheim lied. He did not believe this picture to be of any importance, merely coincidence.

"Today we should all go to bed early. Especially since you two have school again. It would seem too suspicious if you are missing from school. You must not interwine into this too deep. After all, it's me who it is about. I'd rather not get you two involved too much. You are a great help analysing the letters as it is." He had faced the wall sternly while talking. Realizing his sons looked a little left out of this obviously interesting case, he smiled at them and drank up his glass.

"Hey you two figured the first hint. Your old man would have never figured out. You have all reason to be proud of yourself." He smiled even more.

Now even a smile formed on his son's lips. They were determined to search the best they could.

A couple of hours later already the door knocked once again. Who else could it have been other than the Colonel himself.

"Come inside." Hohenheim smiled warmly and offered the Colonel a seat once again. This time he sat down.

"Got news for me?" the blonde asked while serving some tea.

Roy reached into the inside of his uniform and pulled a plastic bag with a piece of paper inside out.

"We found this." He started explaining. "In Mr. Schank's gullet."

Hohenheim reached for the plastic bag and eyed it.

"No doubt." Hohenheim began. "The next part of the rhyme."

"Rhyme you say?" Roy asked raising an eyebrow at the elder man.

"There are going to be 10 deaths." He explained and explained the first part of the rhyme to Roy.

"But what is the crime it is referring to?" Roy asked.

"I suppose, the crime is the grave-robbery. If it was even robbery, that is. And about coming home a little too late, maybe something kept him off from coming home earlier to lock everything thouroughly not letting the murder come inside. That's my theroy so far." Hohenheim had rested his chin in his palms while talking.

"Seems to fit. It might be better for us then to translate this new part as soon as we can. We do not know when the next murder might occur. If it is murder of course." Roy stood up and saluted. "I will come over to your place tomorrow again. This time in civil clothes. It's a little suspicious if I keep visiting you in my uniform." He smiled.

"In that case, you will need to give me a hug too instead of your salutations." Hohenheim smirked.

Mustang slowly dropped his salutating hand and chuckeled. "If that's the case." He took a step forward and hugged his old friend. "I shall say good bye this way then."

The door slam shut. Hohenheim sank back into his chair again.

"In a human's gullet. Those people are serious about this…" he whispered takinga nother close look at the plastic bag.


	7. 9 Alchemists

**Author's Note:** Thanks a lot for the reviews. And please keep reviewing: ) I hope you like the way this story progresses, as you might have guessed there are still enough chapters to come before we are somewhat near the end.

I appreciate tips and criticism ,as well as praise of course, a lot.

(P.S.: Don't hesitate to have a look into my other FMA story/stories too. ;) )

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Hohenheim put the piece of paper in the plastic bag into the little case along with the letter he had received last time. Thouroughly he shut the lid and hid the case between his books in the big shelf standing to his right.

Dim light lit the room he spent hours researching in years ago. Now it was merely a room to store his research documents and various stuff they had no space for.

Slowly he brushed his fingers over a scroll lying across the desk. He took a seat and pulled the scroll close and slipped off the ribbon holding it together. Hohenheim reached for two heavy things to place on each side to prevent the scroll from rolling up again.

"It's their work." He whispered. "My sons work."

His fingers wandered along the edges of the pictures glued onto it. In the top left it started with a picture of Hohen heim and Trisha separate and winded down to a picture of their house. Little milestones in the middle indicated events, such as their first kiss, their first born son, their second son, the old pharmacy close to their first apartement. Hohenheim smiled at the sight of this.

"Mum, how did you meet Dad?" he recalled in his mind. Edward had just been 5 when he asked this question. "Afterwards Edward and Alphonse were so interested about this, they made this and gave it to us on our wedding day." He mumbeled.

Slowly he got up from his seat again leaving the scroll as it was. "Might that not be a nice picture for our living room?" he wondered.

It was around 2 am when Hohenheim finally went to bed. He would not need many hours of sleep. He did not like the bed this empty. He would rather not waste his time with sleep when his beloved wife might be scared to death somewhere. "Trisha.." he mumbeled before he fell asleep.

This time it was not the alarm waking him. Close to 7 am, Edward sat up straight in his bed. "Morning, Al." he mumbeled rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with the back of his hand.

Al remained quiet. "Al?" he asked once again. The younger didn't response again.

Checking on wheter his brother was still awake or not he jumpe dout of his bed and took a few steps closer to his brother's.

Gently he poked his arm waiting for a reaction. None came.

"Al, were you that tired? We need to get up!" Ed demanded and poked his brother's arm some more.

The younger, though, just grunted. After another few attempts of trying to get him awake he finally turned around. Cheeks red and eyes shiny.

"Al, are you sick?" Edward asked leaning closer with care.

"I suppose." The brown-haired mumbeled and wrapped himself tighter into his sheets.

"I'll go tell Dad, he shall bring you breakfast up later. I'll leave for school alone then." Ed said slightly depressed about the fact he would have to bore himself alone at school, sitting along during lunch break. "You are to stay put."

"Dad?" Edward yelled as he reached the end of the staircase.

"Yes?" the familiar voice came from the kitchen followed by clinking cuttlery.

"Al's sick." Ed said taking a seat.

"Oh really? I'll go have a look at him in a few minutes. You eat up and get ready for school. I'll give you a lift again today."

"Sure thing." Ed said taking the first bite of his toast.

"Edward, come downstairs, we are leaving!" His father called upstairs.

"Yeah I'm coming." He retorted and turned to Al. "Get better!"

With a last smile to his brother he left the room and ran down to his waiting father.

"Hurry up."

"Don't worry." The younger retorted grabbing his school bag.

"And what about the jacket?" Hohenheim pointed at the blue ajcket still hanging on the coatstand.

"I don't need it." Ed said quickly and ran outside.

"Oh and if you do!" his father argued.

"Hey, weren't it you who said to hurry up? We are late!" Ed chirped.

Hohenheim just grunted and threw the door shut locking it. "Whatever."

Today's schoolday was destined to be boring. Al was not by his side and his schedule did not give him much hope on an eventful day either.

The class was filling pupil by pupil and Ed took his usual seat close to the back of the class.

The seat next to him would most likely remain empty today since his classmate was still sick. Ed sighed at the sight of his classmate still missing. "It's getting boring without you buddy." He whispered brushing away a few hair strands blurring his vision.

"May I sit here next to you?" A girl's voice came to his left. Ed's head spun around. He faced a girl with blonde hair that reached her waist nearly and blue eyes. She reminded him of Winry somehow.

"Yes of course." Ed subconciously moved the chair away for her to sit. "You are new here, right?" he asked once she had sat down.

"Yes I am." She smiled. "I switched schools."

"I'm back home." Hohenheim announced dropping his keys into a little bowl on the cupboard.

He went to pick up Al's breakfast and served it to Al on a tray. "How are you feeling?" he asked placing the tray on Al's bedside table.

"I'm ok, don't worry." Al smiled not too convincingly.

"Yes sure." Hohenheim retorted. "Here, eat up.

"Dad?"

"Yes?" the older man said making Ed's bed.

"Can you bring me the letter you received yesterday. The new hint I mean. I'll figure out it's meaning."

"No way Alphonse, you are sick, you should rest." His father retorted smoothing Ed's beedsheets.

"But I've got nothing else to do anyways. Colonel Mustang will visit you in about half an hour. Go have a nice chat about old times or whatever with him. I'll do the work." Al smiled sitting up straight.

Hohenheim sighed picking up the tray. "Alright, alright. I'll bring it up. But!" he paused. "You will not work on it for too long and get some sleep too."

Al nodded.

Hohenheim brought the new hint up to Al and just a minute later someone knocked onto the door.

"Nice to see you again, buddy." He smiled at the sight of the raven-haired man standing in the door. "Come inside."

"How are you doing?" Roy asked hanging his dark blue trenchcoat onto the coat stand. He was wearing a striped shirt and black pants. "Fine, now that I got to see you in _civil_ clothes." He chuckeled.

"Nice to see you are amused." Roy retorted sarcastically trying to act serious.

"Cut it out. No need to keep the serious mask among friend. Thaw up." Hohenheim playfully punched his friend's arm and brought him a drink.

"So how is the research going? Going good?" Mustang asked taking a sip of his cooled drink.

The elder shook his head in a dissatisfied manner. "I'm not an further. Al is curretnly working on it, even though he is sick. I could not stop him."

"That's just ok." Roy retorted his left arm hung over the chair's back.

Hohenheim though sat on his chair demurely. He got up from his seat and strode across the room.

White, muttering oaths, the blonde man took his seat again.

"What's the matter?" asked the other in a calm voice.

"I'm wondering, as to how much time we have." Hohenheim's head sank into his palms.

The staircase creaked quietly as Al came downstairs. "I figured it out." He announced holding up a piece of paper in his right and the plastic bag with the hint inhis right.

"This time it wasn't so hard." He added handing the letter to his father.

"Thanks, my boy. Go get some sleep now, leave the rest to us."

Al opened his mouth to speak again but Hohenheim raised his hand. "No."

Alphonse stammered but subsided into silence nodding only. "Ok." The young boy went back up into his room.

Hohenheim waited for the door's shutting-noise before he began looking at Al's notes.

"What does it say?" Roy asked curiously leaning forward.

"9 Alchemists were afraid of what to create, one did lousy, then they were only eight." He read out.

"Were afraid of what to create…" Roy repeated.

"I'm clueless as to what this would refer to."

"Any ideas about places where they would experiment?" the Colonel reached for his glass once again and sipped.

"Well." He hesitated. "There used to be an old cellar as far as I was told, somewhere hear close to this area."

"And where is that to be found?" Roy looked at him inquiringly.

"I'll drive you there. Let's move." Hohenheim got up from his chair and left Al a note on the kitchen table. "I'd better not wake him."

Roy followed him outside. "Do you think we need to gain admission to enter there?"

"Hah." Hohenheim chuckeled. "Most wine cellars there are out of use. People abandoned them, or rather, were forced to abandon them. Noone is ever coming back there to check on them. Families are poor there you know. Not even wine can help them out in this case anymore."

"I can see your dissatisfaction with the hint. Might there be something else?" Roy asked softly.

"No." he paused. "No there isn't. I'm just wondering what might await us there now. You see, a whole army could have been captured there, it's not like anyone would ever find out."

Roy nodded understandingly. "I'm prepared."

The area looked similar to Resembool. Much green, trees and little houses. The further they got the outskirts though, the more desert-like it look. Less houses, less people and a lot of neglected things lying around underlined the scenery.

"So this is it you think?" Roy asked taking a look around. "There's like nothing here. Seems like the right place for doing sick things." He stomped his feet on the ground watching the dust arise.

"Yes, I'm sure."

The wooden door creaked loudly as it was pushed open. Light moved across the room from the door.

"It's cool here." Roy pointed out closing the jacket he had changed to before.

"Yes, the air is very moisturized in these cellars."

"What's this smell?" Roy asked covering his mouth with his left sleeve as they turned in to their right.

"Smells like." Hohenheim hesitated. "Rotten human flesh."

Roy's right leg bumped into something. His switched on the torch he brought with him and pointed it on whatever was lying to his right. His eyes widened.

"Hohenheim!" he yelled.

"What-. I see. So there was a dead after all again. Seems as if this rhyme does come true."

Mustang looked at the motionless body in horror. Hohenheim bent down to have a closer look. "Of course."

"What of course?" Roy asked trying to ignore the bad smell lingering in the air. He made a disgusted face.

"The dead body. Some say it has something beautiful. As a photographer you would never have to worry about the human you want to capture to move. They are the perfect models."

"But why-, why is the body like this?" Roy stammered.

"Like this?" he chuckeled. "They used magnesium it seems to cover the body in white, make the skin look angelic. The red lipstick on the curved lips. The big contrast to the rest." Hohenheim explained gently. "Comestics, the best way to hide what is lying underneath. People used it so many years ago already to embellish the dead."

"I did not know there were women in this organization too." Roy said. He had gotten back from searching for something to cover with. He pulled a bog jute-bag over the body.

"There were. A few, but there were. More women wanted to join us as time passed. Inside this organization, they were an equal to men. The tricky way to attract women."

"Let's go." Roy ordered.

"Want to leave the dead here this way?" Hohenheim inquired.

"We can send someone out here later. There's no use in rushing. After all, the dead don't run away."

"So there is still the matter to be cleared what the first part of the rhyme refers to." Mustang said staring into the distance.

"I wonder, though, wheter this is still of any importance. We found the dead body we were led to. After all, it's not us investigating the manner, we are just the chessmen that they play with."

"What now then? Wait for the next hint? Are we just going to chase after them blindly?" Roy wondered.

"No." he drew a little piece of paper, blood stained paper, out of his pocket. "We already have our next hint. Even if we find out what they did there, what they were afraid of. It would be nothing than a sick experiment with human lives. One failed, and had to die for the sake of the experiment's fail. Whatever it was, they must have abandoned it. No use to stir in the past." Hohenheim did not raise his head nor meet his friend's eyes while talking.

"Just because you used to be one of them, does not mean you commited a crime." His friend comforted him.

"That's for me to know, but for the others to find out. So far, I'd say this part of my life never existed. My only gain from this year was the knowledge that there is more to science and religion than the eye meets."

"I hate to say, my dear friend, but you sound like an old man." Roy laughed.

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I hope you liked this chapter. It might have come out a little boring. I'm looking forward to some reviews. So please review If you read this story.


	8. Dear Friend

"So where did you find this next hint?" Roy asked curiously "Pulled it out of the woman's mouth?" he chuckeled exiting the car.

"You know, it was in her shirt's neck. You did not dare to have a close look so it was for me to get ahold of it. Unless you would have prepared to search for this in a woman's low-neck." Hohenheim smirked and strode to his door.

Roy pouted. "No way!"

Hohenheim reached the door and turned around to face his friend once more. Roy had collected himself and began "I wonder though. Why they made the body look this way. As if she was sleeping. Her left hand caressing her hair, the legs angled."

His voice held an emotion it had never held before.

"I told you. It's all photography. Their way to show respect to the deceased body." Hohenheim waved him good-bye and left for this house.

"Just what are you dragging me into?" Roy whispered smiling softly. He leant against his car watching his friend dissapear inside the house. "I hope you two wont turn out your father's way. The world just can't bear with those that have great knowledge it seems."

"How was it? What did you find out?" Al had ran up to his father as soon as he heard the door fall shut.

"My, my. Awake already?" he smiled at his son and patted his shoulder. "You sure are full of energy it seems."

He pulled a chair forward and sat down, a sigh escaping his lips. He retold the story to Al. In the meantime Edward arrived inside without anyone noticing. He lent against the doorframe and listened to their conversation.

"Edward."

Ed was taken aback. "I did not notice you enter." His father smiled gently.

"It's ok. I listened all the time. So we are already prepared for the third hint?"

"So it seems." Hohenheim nodded facing the floor. "But." He looked from Al to Ed a smile forming on his lips. "We shall first have a relaxing day today." He said briskly.

Edward smirked. "You are just hiding the fact you miss your wife. You fool." He muttered throwing his schoolbag onto the floor.

Suddenly Hohenheim's expression froze. "I'm sorry kids, but you will have to party on your own as of now. There's someone I need to visit." He got up from the chair and walked into his office.

He shut the door and took a look at the books in his shelf. His fingers brushing over the backs of the books. "Marcher…" he mumbeled.

"What fools people are who leave the straight path. A clear conscience – that's all one needs in life. With that you can face the world and tell everyone that interferes with you to go to the devil." Hohenheim mumbeled. "But do you have a clear coinscience, Mr. Marcher?"

He took out one of the books and dusted it off. He thumbed it through until his thumb came to a rest at the letter M. Marcher. The man that he had worked with for a month. A fairly interesting, yet mysterious man Hohenheim had to admit. His finger went down the page until he stumbeled across the right phone number. Yes this one it is.

His hand reached for the receiver to his left without looking up from the book. Sternly he stared onto the number and started to dial the number calling up Mr. Marcher.

"Hello? Mr. Marcher here." A man's voice came.

"Mr Marcher, it is me, Hohenheim."

"Oh Hohenheim."

"Dad has shut himself into his office. Apparently he is making a phone call, I can not seem to call up anyone else at the moment." Edward sighed and dropped te received back onto the phone.

"Who would you want to call up anyways?" the younger one asked curiously shifting away a couple of papers. "Just my classmate, he is still sick." His head rested in his palm as he gazed out of the living room window.

"What if you go for a walk brother? It's sunny for once." Al suggested.

Ed grunted. "Yeah, I'll be back soon."

With a certain petulance, Hohenheim pulled the bell and asked that Mister Marcher shall be sent to him. It was a hassle to find his house, hidden so carefully between all those trees.

His eyes roamed over the maiden's figure in the doorway, demure in her black dress and her neatly-parted black waves of hair and her modestly-dropped eyelids.

"Come inside please. Mr Marcher is waiting for you already."

The door shut, the man on the opposite waved Hohenheim to one chair, settled himself in another and turned a gaze of acute inquiry upon his visitor.

"It's been a while, hasn't it Hohenheim?" Marcher spoke sitting in his big green armchair wrapped in satin.

"I knew it was just a matter of time until people would be interested in everything that we wanted to leave behind." Said Marcher with a sudden change of tone. "You told me a lot on the phone already. But what is there that you really wish to know?"

"I had my suspicions from the start. I chose to be their chessman. But tell me, did they ever lead you to the end? Did they ever let you finish the game? You, who was once part of those creating the games, tell me."

"What you call _game_ so nicely, is not much of a game in fact. Doesn't one who plays a game, have the threads in his own hands to a certain extent?"

Hohenheim nodded thoughtfully.

"But you do not have the threads in your hands, do you?" Marcher chuckeled. His voice was old and sounded smoky. He chocked a few times and continued "Let me tell you this. Out of all the victims they ever gave a chance to get what was taken away from them back, none ever really tried. As far as I know there has never been someone who even understood to interpret the signs."

Marcher paused and got up from his chair. He strode around the desk facing Hohenheim.

"I can not help you."

Hohenheim noticed that he was hiding something under his sleeve. Without drawing any attention to himself he approached Marcher and shook hands with him exchanging what he held in his hand.

"I thank you for your words, Mr. Marcher. I shall ponder on investigating any further. This will be our last talk."

"For sure." Marcher said rather depressingly. His white hair waving in the breeze of wind that came inside.

The maid threw him a ciquettish glance. Her restless haggard face sharpened and tense.

"Good bye, Mr Marcher."

Hohenheim arrived back home. He had yet not dared to take a look at what he was given.

There was still the piece of paper they found at the woman's dead body to translate.

He reached the porch. The sound of his heavy boots stopped as he sat down on the last step.

Hohenheim flung his head back and reached for the piece of paper he had just received. Darkness had once again stroke the earth. Slowly he unfolded the letter.

_My dear friend._

_By the time you will have read this, I might not be alive anymore. I am spied on. You are smart and sure understood my submessage. My death is what I deserve, I took part in the experiments in the wine cellars in the outskirts. Even if you haven't heard about them, the name "Blue Eye" might still ring a bell. This is the only hint I can give you on this._

_Do not stray away from your path. Watch out and go on. You will be led to your goal._

_Your friend,_

_Markus Marcher_

"What's he on about?" Hohenheim wondered. "Blue Eye. So this is what has been researched there. Genetical modification. They wanted to change an embryo's genetics creaing children the way parents would want them. How pathetic. Isn't it, Colonel Mustang?"

Roy had been standing in the far off distance listening to the elder's words. "And I thought it was of no value to us." Roy chuckeled.

"Even I can be wrong." Hohenheim said impassive.

"And what about the new hint? Found anything out yet?" Mustang asked taking a seat next to him.

"Not yet. I did not even show it to my sons, unless they found it by themselves." Hohenheim smiled and got up. A sigh escaped his lips. "I haven't felt this old in ages. Seems as if getting up from the porch is getting harder and harder ever year." He frowned.

"No Hohenheim. It's the porch getting old, not you. I'm not looking any younger next to you if I try to get up from this cranky thing." Roy laughed.

"Know what?" Roy asked. "Let's get started on the last hint. I'm in the mood for that right now." He stretched his arms to the sky and went inside.

"Alright then." Hohenheim replied and followed impassively.

It took them hours to translate the letters. Their faces burried between books and a few cups of coffee. Hohenheim hadn't even noticed that his son had been out until late at night and sneaked past him around 11 pm.

"That happens when work becomes your life." Said Edward, sounding more prim than ever. Both bursted out in laughter. Edward came to a rest lying on his stomach. "Know what?".

"What?" Al yawned.

"I never thought I'd go back to liking Dad this way again. It's as if a new side appeared." Ed smiled and burried his face into the cold soft pillow.

Hohenheim came back with another bottle of wine in his hands. "Cheers my friend!" Roy yelled and they clinked glasses.

Roy sank back into the armchair smiling soft and satisfied.

The noise of two men laughing and talking and – singing? Woke Edward. He turned around to face the clock. "3 am." He whispered "Damn them." He pulled the bedsheets over his head and continued to sleep.

Edward wandered down the stairs rubbing his eyes. His hair was open and messy. No smell of food coming from the kitchen. Dissappointed he was already ready to go back upstairs and sneak back into his warm soft bed. To his right he suddenly noticed a wine bottle. Following the strong wine-scent lingering in the air Edward found the living room empty.

"Dad?" his words echoed.

A hand rose from behind the couch. "I'm here." A dark voice grunted.

"You need to drive me to school." Ed retorted.

"School? Forget it. You are staying home today." His father grunted again his hand moveing back behind the couch again.

"Alright…" Ed stuttered.


	9. 8 Alchemists

It was close to 9 am when The Colonel and Mr. Elric finally got up from the floor.

"I think we had a little too much." Hohenheim pointed out while picking up the newspaper they had spreaded on the floor yesterday.

Mustang sighed and looked down at the photographed face. Reproductions in newsprints were never really good, and this was decidedly smudgy – but the face. On an impulse, he thrust the paper at Hohenheim. "Look." He demanded. "Look at that face."

"Mrs. Huber. I did not know she was caught in an accident. That might explain why she hadn't been around for a while."

Mustang took another casual glance at the paper. "Interesting."

The living room was cleaned at long last. Hohenheim was about to raise his word but Roy interrupted. "We needed that time off. Fullstop." He said sternly.

Hohenheim laughed and dropped back on the couch. "Anyways, care reading out to me again what we translated yesterday?"

"8 Alchemists thought they could touch heaven, one was sent to god too early, then they were only seven."

"So there is another dead body we are ought to find." Hohenheim nodded lost in thought. "Heaven, I suppose they mean a church. Is there currently any church closed or something?"

"There is currently only one church being restored."

"Well then, off we go." Hohenheim rushed past the Colonel and left the house slamming the door shut.

"Should we not take a little more into consideration?" Roy panted running after his friend.

"What else is there to take into consideration?" he retorted indifferently.

"I comprehend." Said Mustang soothingly.

"Crap. Now it's raining." Hohenheim tried to wipe the rain out of his face. "It's pouring!"

"See the advantage, if we do find anything in there, noone will ever be able to trace our footsteps." The Colonel said impassively.

"This is your _only_ worry, isn't it?" the elder said, lowering his voice. "Well then let's go inside." His unusual obtuseness annoyed me.

The heavy gate fell shut. Roy and Hohenheim stepped inside the church. "We'd better leave our coats here, or else we will wetten everything." The colonel suggested and took both of their coats and hung them over the banisters.

The sound of rain drizzling against the window echoed down the big halls of the church. The light was dim, only a few lights hanging from the ceiling spent light.

"Over there." Hohenheim waved his friend to come follow him to his right.

They entered a small room apparently leading to another room. The door creaked loudly and the noise echoed throughout the church.

Their look fell onto some blood on the floor. Slowly both raised their heads just to find a man pinned to the wall. A wooden cross soaked in blood now, was placed beneath him.

"He looks as if he was crucified." Mustang stuttered.

Hohenheim gazed upon the familiar face. "This is, Mr Marcher. The one I met recently, remember?"

" 'The imposter' It says on the cross." Roy read.

"There were people who said that it was a pose he deliberately adopted."

"So this is the man that was sent to god too early, hm?" Roy mumbeled facing the puddle of blood intensely.

"Let's have a look around here. Maybe there is some other interesting stuff-" Roy interrupted Hohenheim talking and pointed at a little glass bottle standing on the ground right below the cross.

"Hey look at this." Mustang had bent down and picked up a little glass-bottle moving it up into the light.

"What Is this?" The blonde asked eagerly.

"An embryo it seems."

"Ah. Seems like it's an allusion to his research on genetic manipulation."

"We'd better leave. Though I wonder." Mustang reminded him "where the next hint may be."Don't say-!" Roy was close to the verge of despair. "You say those people are really that sick?"

"Well" Hohenheim hesitated. "We could just go on looking. Maybe it's not even a letter this time."

Hohenheim and Mustang had a look around. Until the latter suddenly poked the others arm.

"What's the matter? Found something?" The blonde leant over his friend's shoulder.

"More or less, it's attached to the body. See up there? There is something close to the belly button."

"Yes yes I see it." Hohenheim stood on the tip of his toes and reached for the piece of paper.

"Let's go home." Roy suggested. "I'm sick of this place." He shuddered and left the room.

Ed was lazing on the couch. His left hand hung down to the floor, his right covered his eyes. A sigh escaped his lips one again. "Brother what's the matter? You keep sighing." Alphonse eyed his brother closely.

The phone rang. "Al. Please answer the phone." Noone moved. "Al!" Still the younger did not move.

Frustrated Edward sat up and grabbed for the receiver. "Hello?" he grunted. Al could not hear who was on the other side but by Edward's look it must have been someone important. Edward slammed the receiver back onto the phone.

"Who was it?"

"Winry. Rose is at her place too. They asked me to come over. The need some help with a project." Ed said briefly.

"Rose?" Al grew curious. "Who is this Rose?" he smirked

"Rose, is a new girl in town. Obviously Winry would pick her up and try to get friends with her. You know her." The elder retorted impassively.

"I'm leaving, bye."

Before Al had any chance to pick on his brother any further the door fell shut and Al was left to himself.

Edward knocked onto the door. He blinked his eyes against the blinding light from the lamp attached to the wall.

Winry opened the door and grabbed the blonde's arm to drag him inside. "Rose is still here." She said in a matter-of-a-fact tone.

"So what do you need help with?" Edward asked a little annoyed.

"Physics."

Ed's heart sank. "Physics. You know I-"

Winry pinched Ed's arm. "Yes we know you are good in physics." She smiled not too confident.

"Eh yeah." Ed sweatdropped and took a seat.

"How come you are so sm-?" Rose started but was interrupted by Winry. "Hey! Does anyone want something to drink?"

Both nodded.

"Well then let's get started on this." Edward demanded sceptically.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" the blonde boy was startled and tried to hide his blush.

"You are quiet handsome." She giggeled.

"Oh stop it." Ed retorted hiding behind a few physics books. "Let's just get this over with." He grunted.

Ed got up to bring the emtpy glasses back into the kitchen and refill them. "Winry, why aren't you working with us? Anything wrong?" Edward as he still saw Winry lingering in the kitchen.

"No, nothing. It's all fine." She put a fake smile. He, on the contrary preceived though that she just faked her smile.

"Be honest." He said sharply. "What is really wrong."

"No-" she started but was cut off by the boy. "Do not lie to me." He graved once again.

"Do not pry into everything." She aped.

Ed sighed. "I tried." He said in a rather dissatisfied voice.

Rose had stood in the doorframe watching the scene and Edward bumped right into her. "S-Sorry." He stammered and rushed past her. Rose though, blushed furiously. "Something going on between you and him?" she asked drilling her finger into her shoulder.

"Nope. There isn't. Ed isn't the relationship person anyways." She retorted backing away.

"So he is still available." She smirked.

"Rose?" Winry blinked at her. "What are your intentions?"

Hohenheim arrived home finding his younger son lazing on the couch.

"Alphonse." He said rather demandingly. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed and get some rest?"

"I can get rest on the couch too." He retorted sternly.

"I suppose." He sighed.

"Dad. I saw Mrs Huber's face in the newspaper. Why don't you go visit her? You two are friends, right?" Al smiled blissfully.

"Uh? Eh, yes we are friends." The elder sratched the back of his head embarassed." Somewhat." He added.

"What are you moping about, Edward?" Hohenheim asked as he met his son in the doorframe. Edward launched out an unintelligable noise and rushed past his father.

Hohenheim had managed to rout out Amanda's room. Gently he knocked and asked wheter it was ok for him to enter. On Amanda's approval he entered. She looked dirty, tired and pale. Her clothes were lying beneath the bed ragged out as if someone wrenched them violently.

Her figure's fragility would have seemed pathetic and appealing had it not been for her rather shrewd gleam in her green eyes he had noticed at first glanec when they first met.

"How are you feeling?" Hohenheim asked placidly and sat down at Amanda's request.

"I've felt better." She sighed and looked the other way.

"What on earth happened?" the man asked after a long pause.

"I caused and accident, that's it." She said stiffly.

"I can't really believe that."

"Is that so?"her words followed by a chuckle.

Hohenheim looked unsatisfied but put the best face he could upon the matter. To him, it was obvious that she would not just cause an accident like that. For her, being a decently good driver and the newspaper had printed in its article that _certain circumstances_ are yet unsolved regarding the mass-accident.

"I was threatened." She whispered het eyes still not meeting Hohenheim's.

"What did you say?" he leant over her.

"I was threatened." She pressed through her lips sobbing quietly.

"Who was it?" he asked sternly.

The brunette woman rolled onto her side digging her finger nails into her pillow. Tears rolled down her rosy cheeks.

"Who was it?" he pressed further. His attempts though, seemed unavailing.

Silence spread throughout the room again. The only noise lingering in the dim lit room was the machine giving artificial respiration to a person lying on the opposite side further to the window side.


	10. 7 Alchemists

Thanks for the reviews again. :)

I hope I can keep up my work to your likings and not let it turn out a little boring seeing my voacbulary isn't the richest.

Anyways, enjoy!

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The blonde man remained silent for another while. "I will go then." Her silence felt almost oppressive.

"Amanda. I know there is more than you would tell me." She twitched at his words and pulled her legs close curling up. "If you wish, though, to inform me about it, do not hesitate to send me a letter."

He was about to leave the room as the wisp lying in the bed spoke "There was a man. I met him at the gas station. He was friendly. His fragile appareance should not have fooled me. He was the one causing the accident. I remember him telling me 'It is the the cuicifix my friend yearned for.' I did not understand what he meant by that though." She weeped.

"Crucifix, you say?" Hohenheim paused. "What happened to this man?" he asked gently taking his seat again.

"He." She hesitated. "He stopped his car in the middle of the crossing causing thousands to bump into him. Inlcuding me." Her words were heavy and dull, interrupted by sobbing every now and then.

"Was there anything else he might have said?" the blonde man sitting by her bed asked placidly.

"You know, it was weird." She began sobbing heavily. "He said something like a rhyme. A weird rhyme."

"What was the rhyme like?" the other retorted placidly again closing his eyes.

"Don't think of as being a crazy woman that is suffering from post-shock." She paused catching her breath "I heard him mumble something along the lines of 'praying to the crucifix' and 'then they were only six.' Those were the words I understood. Weird, eh?"

The blonde man nodded his head thoughtfully.

"Thanks Amanda. I shall return to visit you tomorrow. Until then, get some rest and sleep well." He gently brushed his hand over her arm and left the room. He strode to the main entrance and ran outside into the cold air. Oppressively it hit his face. He reached into the inside of this brown leather jacket and drew out a piece of paper. Carefully he unfolded it and read: "7 Alchemists praying to the crucifix, one wanted to play god though, then they were only six."

"So the one causing the accident… It was suicide."

Instantaneous he rushed back home. "Where the next hint then? Might this man even have survived? This might just aggravate it."

Back home Hohenheim threw his coat next to the coat stand, strode his boots off and collapsed on the couch. It was a tiresome day. Since ever Trisha was captured his days seemed to rush by so fast. Every day seemed like the other, chasing from hint to hint. "What would happen if I just ignore them? This or that way, the continue to murder, continue with the rhyme. But how would I ever reach my beloved wife again, if I don't go to the end? What awaits me when I reach it? Are they just going to wait there for me and tell me? Or will there just be another quiz?" he thought.

"Stupid old man." Edward leant onto the doorframe in his boxers.

"Did I say all this out loud? Sorry. Wasn't my intention." He grunted in a tired voice.

"You told me it is _their_ game. Just go be a good boy and play it. You can always stop but never start it again." Ed mumbeled slightly annoyed.

His son's words ran through his mind. "That's what I believe." Ed added indifferently and turned round to leave the room.

"Know what, Edward?" He arranged himself into a sitting position to be able to face his son.

"You are old enough to go with me. I have a plan. I want to sneak into the morgue and get a look at the man's body that commited suicide. The accident Mrs. Huber was involved with." Hohenheim rested his face in his palms.

"I would like to go with you. But." He stretched out and yawned heartily. "I need to get some rest. Winry and Rose wore me out with their questions about physics. And I suck so bad at Physics." He tousled his hair and went back upstairs.

Hohenheim remained in his pose for another half hour thinking hard about the past incidents. Was there possibly any connection he did not see? Any hints that were not as obvious as the letters?

The sun rose like every morning. Everyone sat at the table eating breakfast. Hohenheim devotingly played the father-role and served good breakfast. His guise strode out of the kitchen again.

In a few minutes time he returned with thermometer to take Al's temperature. To Ed this scene seemed familiar, just that instead of the well-curved and dapper brown haired woman with a gentle smile a blonde haired, rather disinclined man to any housework shifted his feet over the ground.

Today Edward had no school, much to the boy's comfort. He had never been in a morgue, but he was looking forward to it.

The father and the elder son left the house. Hohenheim had brought his old white coats looking like a doctor's. In fact, they were old ones from the times he spent in the laboratory. His plan was to sneak into the morgue with those and fake admission-passports pretending to be doctor's ordered the examine the body. He was sure, that if the man that had once been working there a couple of years ago was still there, he would have it easy sneaking in. The guise of a smudgy young black-haired man with big glasses appeared in front of his inner eye. This man still had a favor to return to him. He pulled the car up close to the morgue, beaming.

"Good morning, Mr Giles." Hohenheim cheered and waved Hello to the man standing behind the counter. The computer screen covered his face. Instantaneous he jumped off the chair and faced the two visitors. "How's it going?" Hohenheim cheered once again. Judging by the other's puzzeled facehe could have affirmed he was not happy to see the blonde man's face again.

"Mr. Elric!" He suddenly cried in joy and hugged him warmly. "Oh I am great."

"What means as much as boring yourself to death here, huh?" Edward commented taking a look around.

"Good old Mr. Giles, can I as you for a favor?"

"Oh call me John, like in old times. No need to be so formal." The other replied placidly and patted Hohenheim's back.

"I would like you to let me have a look at the young man brought in here. He was the cause for the mass-accident yesterday. I forgot the name, though."

"Oh, _that_ man." John's voice grew serious. "Yes yes he was brought here. I have yet not taken a look at him. But dear, he looks bad. I've heard he has a couple of really strange tatoos. People assume he belongs to some sect. Are you sure you really want to have a look at him?"

"Yes. Don't worry. I just need to take a quick look." Hohenheim affirmed.

"Ok then, follow me please." John went behind the counter and opened a big grey iron drawer. His fingers ran through a couple of files provded with letters. "There it is." He pulled out a long yellowish file. "Box number 5, alright. Come with me."

The younger and the older Elric followed the tall young man to a heavy thick door to their left. Two small windows allowed insight into the room lying behind. As they entered the room a cold wave punched their faces. Edward shivered. Not only because it was cold inside here but at the sight of all those metal "beds". Bowls hung from the ceiling and things looking like a scale to weigh the organs with hung next to each of those beds. On the right side it looked like a bunch of lockers next to each other. Each of them had their own little handle. Ed knew though, that those were not lockers like you knew them from school, rather lockers to store a human body in.

"Ok here we are." John opened one of those lockers and pulled a man on some kind of tray out. In order to move the body to one of the metal beds they saw before he got himself an incredibly big tray with wheels and shifted the body.

Ed's stomach cramped a little at the sight of a fully naked male covered in tatoos and various bruises.

"I will leave you along here now. Come outside to my counter again when you are done. You can leave him here as he is when you leave. It's not like the dad run away." He trilled exiting the room.

The creaking of the doors echoed from the walls until they came to a rest. Edward gulped and leaned closer to the dead body.

Hohenheim, calm as if there was nothing to it and started opening the human's abdomen and moved upwards to his chest.

Edward looked away concentrating on something else, but what was there to concenatrate on seeing all those instruments. How could someone possibly choose roaming througha human's organs as a job?

"Oh, how interesting. See what I found." Hohenheim chuckeled and held up something bloody. Edward fighting against the urge of throwing up decided to nod looking somewhere else. "Yeah, nice."

"You didn't even look, you wimp. The hints are getting harder to obtain."

"So what exactly did you find?" twitched Ed.

"A condom inside this man's stomach. And a piece of paper inside. Obviously this would be hard for him to digest." He chuckeled once again. "Idid not expect them to make it this hard."

"A con-?" Ed stammered.

"Don't choke on such a simple word." He patted his sons shoulder. "Come on. We are heading out of here."

They left the room again stepping into the caressing warmth. "We are done john. Thanks again." He smiled and handed the black haired man his file again.

"Oh Anytime my friend. If you need anything else, feel free to come back whenever you want." Both men shook hands while Edward sneaked away from this creepy place. He sat in the car already as his dad opened the door to join his son. "You did not like it in there, I suppose?"

"Nevermind." Ed grunted shifting around in his seat nervously. "Let's just get home."


	11. Kissing the 'Devil'

Son and father entered the room.

"I'm tired." Grunted the younger slipping off his jacket.

"Tired already? We weren't even out for long" retorted the blonde and hung his jacke tonto the coat stand aswell.

"Al, how are you doing?" Ed asked stroding past his brother.

"I'm doing better. Don't worry." The younger retorted.

"Well." His father reached his palm out for his forhead to touch it. "It's still a little warm. I can not let you go to school already tomorrow, you might need another one or two days of rest."

Edward chuckeled. "As if that was so bad."

"Oh it is!" retorted Al. "I'll miss a lot again. I hate gathering all the things I missed when I was sick." Al stomped his foot.

"That's because you are weird. You should enjoy your time home. Just lazing around. No teachers to tell you what to do. Not nosy classmates." Ed chuckeled and cleaned an apple on his sleeve.

Al just gave him a somewhat weird look and wandered upstairs.

As Hohenheim took a seat he pulled out the piece of paper he had just obtained again. "Well then, let's see the next part of the rhyme."

Edward rolled his eyes. "This is getting annoying. We are just chasing after dead." He retorted taking a bite from his apple.

Hohenheim ignored his son's complaints and opened the paper.

"6 Alchemists living their life, one took his mouth too full, then they were only five."

"Not this leaves a lot of opportunities open." Sighed the elder and dropped his forehead onto his folded arms on the desk.

"They might just give you another hint here or there. You always managed to read between the lines, so you will manage to this time too." Ed retorted throwing what was left of his apple into the dustbin.

"I'll go take a nap, see you later."

"Yeah, do that." Hohenheim retorted putting the piece of paper away. "I'll put you to the others later on. A nap might do me some good too."

Slowly he shuffeled his feet over to the couch and thudded onto it. Just a minute after he fell asleep.

----

Hohenheim woke up to his phone ringing. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes he dragged himself to answer the phone. "Damn." He grunted.

Just as he was about to answer it stopped ringing. Hohenheim slighty frustrated that he had gotten up for nothing decided it was time to prepare dinner and went on walking into the kitchen.

Passing through the hall and on to the kitchen he noticed the newspaper lying in front of the entrance door.

Even though he would usually ignore the daily news in which he could just read another family's drama or another political issue, this time he felt as if the newspaper was his only friend. Bending down he grabbed the newspaper. At the sight of the main headline he froze in his current state and remained sitting with his knees bent.

"Mysterious kidnapping – victim not found"

Touching his back in pain a little he got to his feet again holding the newspaper close to his face. "Mysterious they say?"

Hohenheim thumbed through the articles looking for the right page. "There it is." He murmured. Reading through it as fast as he could he suddenly dropped the newspaper back onto the floor and rushed into his office.

"Dr. Simmons, Dr. Simmons." He murmured repeatedly. His fingers brushed over a couple of books. Hysterically he threw one book after the other off his shelf onto the ground. "Where is it, where is it?"

Suddenly his finger rested on a emerald green book. "Hah, there it is."

He fetched the book off the shelf and took seat in his chair. Thumbing through it he suddenly threw the book ontot he table open at page 66. "Dr. Eric Simmons. Founder of the mental hospital. Right the man they needed. If I'm not mistaken-" his finger wandered through a couple of lines down to the end. The book was pretty thick so he skipped a couple of pages until he came across the name Marcher – Markus Marcher. "So it is indeed the same Dr. Simmons. The one who had worked with Marcher. Obviously they had to kill him too in order to cover up anything of their projects." He murmured.

Hastily he reached for the newspaper again. "Ransom has been arranged. Kidnappers say that he was burried somewhere and they have 24 hours to pay the ransom. Recent webcam broadcasts gave information about his whereabouts. It is assumed that he is burried underground in a glass coffin." He read.

"Alright, so you are my next dead Alchemist. Unless I find you in time. But where- where are you?"

----

Hohenheims tepped back out of his office and entered the living room. "Hey Alphonse, where is your brother?"

"He is up in his room." Explained Al laying aside the newspaper.

"Oh?"

"Yes, with a girl." Added the younger.

The tall blonde acted as though he had not heard the last statement and sat down on the couch reaching for the Newspaper once again.

Giving in to his curiousity though he could not help but walk upstairs pretending he had to "Get the laundry."

Quietly he climbed the stairs and walked past the brother's room by chance. Yes, by chance.

Stroding past the room Ed was in with a girl for the 3rd time he decided he needed to get the laundy out of _this_ room too. Though the boys usually brought the clothes that needed washing outside on their own, today he felt like taking this burden off their shoulders.

Knocking and opening within a second he bursted inside the room.

Nothing happened. Noone jerking off the bed, no arranging clothes, no attempts to hide anything. Slightly dissappointed his father sighed. "What are you guys doing?"

"Project work." Cheered the girl.

"Oh, need help?"

"Y-" but the blonde girl interrupted him. "No thanks." She smiled gently at the tall male standing in the door.

"Alright." Retorted the elder and shut the door again. He felt as though Edward seemed slightly afraid of this girl. But what was there to be afraid of? She looked cute, she was pretty, and she was nice. Hohenheim scratched the back of his head. "You are just like me."

----

"So that was your father?" Rose asked twirling a hairstrand between her fingers.

"Yes." Graved the boy.

"He looks just like you."

Edward felt uneasy talking about his dad and found the physics book to be a lot more interesting and hid his face behind it.

"Why are you hiding that handsome face of yours?" she said ina sing-sang voice slowly pushing the book away.

Ed would have liked to keep it there stiffly but the girl would not let him.

The book dropped to the floor. His only shield was gone. She was still twirling her hair. "Just like this woman did with dad, no wonder he was like in trance." Edward told himself.

The girl came closer and closer, why the boy did not move, he wouldn't know. He just sat there, a thousand things roaming through his head, but not that his feet should move.

He felt her breath on his skin as warm lips pressed against his. Edward twitched a little. He was sure, if his dad would see him now, he would look as if all his muscles stiffened, like a snake biting his prey.

Though he had to admit he enjoyed the feeling, but receiving his first kiss, not counting the joked kiss back in his kindergarden days, from a girl he did not even really know. She was pretty, no arguing, but her personality was somewhat dominant. She knew what she wanted and she knew how to get it.

The boy suddenly pushed her away longing for air. "What's your last name?" he bursted out.

"What! I kissed you and you ask me _that_?" she retorted rather shocked he did not say anything along the lines of enjoying it.

"Yes yes I enjoyed it, but what is your last name? He said hastily.

"Huber, why?"

Ed's jaw dropped open. She was _just_ like her mother. The woman that seduced his father. He felt better now. Yes indeed he did. He was weak against someone that was realted to a person that seduced his father already. A man that left his family every now and then without much heartache. He felt like a man after all, not a wimp.

"Must run in the family." He thought.

Taking advantage of the situation he kissed her again. He did not know why, but his feeling told him this girl would not come back if he screwed up now. Besides, when do you get to kiss a pretty girl alone in your room again anyways.

Though taking a close look, he reminded him of Winry.

"Was it Winry I imagined to kiss? Am I just kissing this girl so I do actually kiss someone so I will not have to worry as to how to react when I do get to kiss someone else, someone I really want to?"

He pushed her away once again.

"Say, what's the matter?" she inquired a little annoyed.

"Nothing. I just think…we are done with physics for today. I've still got some stuff to do. I'll call you up later."

Pushing her down into the hall he waved good bye once again and slammed the door shut.

Yes, the seducing evil was outside now.

Looking rather amused he strode back into the kitchen. He felt good, yes indeed he did. He did not give in, he stood his man and made things clear. "Wait, I didn't." his head thudded onto the desk.

"Dad, hand me the phone please." The younger lamented.

Puzzled his father reached for the receiver and handed it to the younger.

----

Hohenheim sighed deeply. He was waiting for Roy to pay him a visit again. They had like 10 hours left to find Dr. Simmons." He had wasted most of the time sneeking around his elder son. "How pathetic." He grunted shifting in his seat.


	12. 6 Alchemists

Thanks for the reviews once again. :

I'll try update more. Please have a lookinto my other stories too, thanks!

xxxxx

Finally the doorbell rang and Hohenheim stepped outside into the bright sun.

"So what are you planning to do now? You told me the story on the phone, yet I do not understand how you plan to find him." Roy asked tapping his fingers onto the steering wheel.

"I am not quiet sure myself yet, but I assume paying Mrs Simmons a visit might be a good idea."

Mustang pulled up his car to a pink coloured house. "A daring colour." He commented slamming the door shut.

"I find it quiet ok. Matches her personality. If Mrs. Simmons is the woman that used to be his girlfriend back then that is." Hohenheim retorted placidly and rang the bell.

A dainty black-haired woman opened the door. Her eye-lids modestly dopped as she bowed slightly to welcome them. "I knew you would come hearing of your friend's kidnapping. Welcome Hohenheim." The woman said opening the door widely for them to enter.

"I can not stayfor longs eeing as we run shortontime, so I'd like to ask you about your husband's last whereabouts." Asked Hohenheim gently. Mustang in the meantine had wandered round the room to take a closer look at the ancient things Mr Simmons had stored so neatly in shelves.

The room was drab-coloured and reminded of ancient times.

"In the woods close to the river flowing by here. He liked being out there when it had just rained." Mrs. Simmons strode over to the window and pointed to a little wood far off in the distance to their right.

"Woods, hm?" A faint note of bitterness underlay Roy's words.

"I thank you kindly, Martha. We will do our best to bring your husband back, I promise."

Mrs Simmons pale cheeks finally received some colour. "Thank you."

She led them back to the main entrance and handed each of them a few chocolates. Almost nervous and with trembling hands she handed them over wrapping their fingers tight around them as she put them in the men's palms.

"Take care out there."

Back in the bright sunshine Roy noticed some dark clouds covering the sky. "What was with this lady? She seemed a little out of sorts."

"She might just get spied on like we did. Open the chocolates. I bet there is something useful inside." Hohenheim said in a matter-of-a-fact tone.

"Yes." Gibed the Colonel. "Chocolate."

Hohenheim chuckeled and dangled a small piece of paper in front of his friend's face. "Not only. I suppose it is something she did not tell the police. Knowing we would come she waited for us to appear and hand this piece of information over to us."

"So what does It say?" asked Roy curiously.

"Something about a cave. Geez, those people have their labors everywhere it seems."

"Let's go and check on this hint then." Said Roy heading for the woods. "This is starting to get annoying."

"You can still quit." Said Hohenheim picking up a few leaves.

"I know, but hey, I can not let my friend down. Besides." He pointed over to a cave that had obviously collapsed."This is somewhat interesting. See, the cave, It has collapsed."

"Collapsed? Someone blew it up so it would hide nay evidence. Now to find Mr. Simmons."

"It was said he is buried. So let's watch out for something that looks like freshly digged up soil." Commented Roy and wandered off to the left.

Within half an hour they stumbeled across something that looked freshly digged up and was just covered with a few leaves. "Even though you find dozens of those here, thisonelooks the most suspicious." Hohenheim pointed out taking a quick lookat his watch. "8 more hours to go."

Swiftly Roy pulled out a mini-shovel. Hohenheim chuckling at the sight of this gestured Roy to begin. "Your turn, my friend."

Digging for another half hour the shovel finally hit something solid. "There it is."

Hohenheim brushed some dirt away and stared inside. "Dr. Simmons? It's me, Hohenheim. We will get you out of here, don't worry."

Working on the clasp for a while, a clicking sound implied It was open. A heavy breathing, trembling man stumbeled outside. His usually neatly parted black hair was messy. The sweat-glued hair exposed his bold parts even more.

Holding onto Hohenheim's arm he stumbeled outside. Sweat pearls ran down his forehead.

"Hey Hohenheim." Exclaimed Roy who still stood next to the hole in the ground. "Look at this."

Hohenheim stode over to his friend and took a look into the hole the Colonel had digged. "Looks like a trophy or something."

"A house-trophy, that is." Commented Roy wiping sweat off his forehead.

Hohenheim bent down to pick it up. "I'm sure this is not here by chance." He chuckeled.

Roy turned to the trembling man standing a little further away.

"It's ok now. We safed you. Come with us, we will bring you home." Roy said gently.

----

Stumbling through the woods they finally made it to the main street that led past Dr. Simmons' house.  
"We should not bring you home to your wife as of now. It might still be too dangerous. I do not trust this whole thing. It was a little too easy for us to find you." Explained Hohenheim and tugged at the man's sleeve to accompany him. They changed their direction to the right where they had parked their car.

Mr Simmons was still pale. He had dark circles around his eyes and looked tired. As the sunshine met his face his few wrinkles added to the appearance of an old man. He looked worn out and scared. Hohenheim patted his shoulder and smiled. "There is no need to worry anymore. We will take care of you." The smile did not seem to be all this convincing. Simmons just frowned and tried to smile. His smile appeared to be disappointing though.

----

The house of the Elric's got visible in the distance.

"I comprehend you would not really fancy talking about today's incident, but there is no coming round." Explained the Colonel gravely. Puckering up his face, Mr Simmons nodded.

Everyone got out of the car again and entered the house. As expected noone was in the living room.

Hohenheim offered Mr Simmons a seat and took a seat right next. "You'd better not embezzle anything."

The man swallowed and reached for a handkerchief to dry his forehead. "I can not remember much. I sat in my living room watching tv." His voice trembled. Swallowing he continued. "Suddenly someone knocked. I ordered my wife to answer the door." He hesitated. "She did. Two men entered my room. They said they were from my branch. I work for a marketing-company you know." He looked up and faced Hohenheim. His eyes filled with desperation. "It's not unusual for them to visit me from time to time. I remember them telling me to come outside to their car. They said they had soemthing to show me. Some new designs." His head dropped back into his palms and he stared onto the ground. "When I got outside someone grabbed me from behind. Waking up in this coffin was the next I remember."

"Thank you, Mr Simmons." Said Hohenheim gently and patted his friend's shoulder. "I think you can go home now."

"Alright." He replied in a trembling voice. "Thanks again."

----

Mr Simmons stepped outside into the cool air. Hohenheim stopped in the doorframe and watched his friend disappear in the distance. He said walking home by foot might be a good opportunity to clear his head.

Roy's gaze fell onto the blood that still remained on the wall close to the kitchen. "Why don't you wash it off?"

"I wanted it to remind me that I have to find her. I feared other things might consume my time and I neglect my search for her." The blonde sighed.

"Come on, let's wash it off." Retorted Roy placidly and entered the kitchen to get a bucket.

Mr Simmons figure got smaller and smaller in the distance. Suddenly the noise of a shot broke the quiet scene. The figure in the distance collapsed and fell to the ground. A shock wandered through every of his limbs. Roy alarmed by this noise had run onto the porch. Hohenheim grabbed his arm and pulled him back though. "There are people coming already. Let's let them do it."

Roy's eyes met his - his eyes met stern, cold eyes. "He had to die either way. They never let them live. In this riddle noone survived." He hesitated. "So why should he have survived?"

Hohenheim turned around and grabbed the little hous-trophy they found.

"Our next hint?" inquired Mustang.

"Yes."


	13. 5 Alchemists

Thouroughly Hohenheim pulled a little white paper out of the house-trophy. Unfolding it he read "Five Alchemists thouroughly locked their door, one was broken through, then they were only four."

Roy frowned. "I somewhat hate this game. Wait and collect the dead." He thudded onto the couch next to his friend. "What about going out and have a few drinks?"

Hohenheim put the paper away. Roy seized the blonde's arm. "Come on. Let's go."

Without any arguing he got up and followed his friend. "Hey wait." Hohenheim reached for his cellphone in his pocket.

"What's the matter?" asked Roy puzzled.

"I'll call Amanda to join us. She must have recovered by now." Retorted the other placidly and dialed a number.

"Oh." The Colonel chuckeled. "So you fancy her a little?"

Hohenheim was taken aback. "No I don't. She's merely a friend."

Roy observed his friend carefully and smirked. "Yes." He paused. "A friend."

Just as Hohenheim was about to open his mouth to retort the door burst open. Two startled men blinked at the figure in black clothes that stood in the doorframe. "Yes?"

"I'm ordered to bring one of the two of you to the Headquarters." The man said gravely. His hands were folded behind his back.

"Take him." Hohenheim patted Mustang onto his back hard enough to make him step forward.

"That was uncalled-for." Hissed Roy and blinked at the man in the black suit.

"Good bye." Beamed the blonde and pushed both out of his door and shut it firmly behind them.

Just as Hohenheim thought he had finally gotten time to call up his "friend" Alphonse appeared next to him. "Dad, I think I'm ok now. Can I go outside?"

The elder frowned and touched his forehead. "Indeed it's cold. Well alright, go outside a bit. But don't overdo it."

The door shut and Hohenheim began dialing Amanda's number again. Though he was not meant to finish doing so as he realized his older son was missing once again. Frowing and sighing he called Winry. "Winry? Yes it's Edward's father. Is he at your place?"

Hohenheim nodded a few times. Suddenly his eyes grew big. "Oh really? He's at Amanda's place?"

Discreetly he scrutinized wheter her husband might be home. "Oh he isn't. Good, I meant to visit her and have a look how she is doing after this horrible accident."

Putting his cellhpone away again he left the house and headed straight for Amanda's place.

----

"Oh Hohenheim." Warbled a female voice. The blonde man turned around to face the direction the voice had come from as he ran into the woman's bosom. "Oh, Oh. I'm sorry." Stammered the man.

"Ah it's ok. Stupid me should not be running with that less clothes." She chuckeled. "What did you come here for, by the way?"

"I came to check onto my son. I've been told he is here." He hesitated. "with your daughter."

"Oh!" she smiled. "Yes yes. They are in her room." Hohenheim did not like the wink nor did he like the way she said her last sentence.

He was led inside and took a seat on the couch. "Her room is upstairs, so we are undisturbed here."

"Eh, yes." He felt slightly unwell sitting on a couch with a woman which was not wearing more than a blouse with deep neck and a mini skirt. He had trouble not staring.

"Well, where is your bathroom?"

"Upstairs." She replied and pointed to the stairs.

"Thanks." The inner-Hohenheim cheered at those words. He was going to go upstairs and check onto his son.

----

He had finally reached the upper floor. "So where is her room now?" he asked himself and took a peek into the first door to his right. "Looks like the room of the parents." He turned around to leave the room again as his sight fell onto something black lying under the bed. Curiousity winning over him he bent down and picked it up. He eyed it closely. Black, long and thin, some fringes. "A whip!" he exclaimed and dropped it again. Startled he shoved it behind the bed again with his foot. He could not help but blush a little. Actually it should have been somewhat obvious to him, the way she dressed could only imply she was living a little extraordinary. "Just leave the room now." He told himself but remained on his spot. Bending down once again he took another glimpse under the bed. He was a little afraid to reach under it and see what else he might find but did it anyways. His hands stumbeled across something smooth and cold. Moving his fingers over the surface he suddenly felt something even colder and metal-like. He froze.

Hohenheim jumped back onto his feet and left the room. Taking one last deep breath he went to the next door.

"Jackpot." He exclaimed.

A shocked and blushing Edward jerked off the bed – without a shirt.

"Edward, what are you doing?" asked his father, no less surprised than his son.

"I'd rather ask you what you are doing here." He retorted placidly.

"Well I am still wearing my shirt."

"Oh…that." Edward searched for his shirt. Suddenly the girl's head appeared in the bed. Apparently she had been lying. She too, was without shirt. Edward's dad's jaw dropped open.

"I'll pretend to not have seen. I'll just leave and …do whatever." Hohenheim waved his hands weirdly and left the room.

Banning the pictures he had just seen out of his mind he went downstairs again. Amanda had already brought a few glasses to the table and poured wine into them.

"Can we trust your daughter?" he asked placidly and took a seat.

"Well, she wont harm him." She warbled and offered him a glass.

"I'm calmed now." He retorted sarcastically and took the glass.

-----

The door flung open and the Colonel appeared. Hohenheim jerked off the couch and got to his feet as quickly as possible. Swiftly he flattened the crinkles on his shirt to hide the fact he had leant pretty close to the woman sitting on the couch. Amanda though wore a satisfying look.

Hohenheim could not help but blush.

"Oh, blushing, aren't we?" gibed Roy and took a seat.

"That's just the wine." Retorted the elder and faced the wall.

"So what did you come here for?" interjected Hohenheim cutting off the black haired young man lazing on the couch.

"I've been told about an apartement's door being kicked in. So far they did not find the corpse." Explained Mustang placidly and placed his elbows on his knees.

"Though, this is only due to the fact I kept them off from investigating so far. We need to take a look first." Mustang stood up and gestured for the blonde to follow him. "Come. The dead might not run away, but the time will. I'm sure Amanda will still be here later on." He smiled at the lady still sitting on the couch arranging her half-way opened blouse. Amanda just grinned, a rather pathetic grin – or would you call it drunk?

A little frustrated yet happy deep inside he would not betray his beloved woman, Hohenheim followed as ordered to.

----

Both men stepped outside into the cool rain. Drop by drop cold water wettened moistened their skin.

"Do you think it's ok to leave your son alone here?" scrutinized the Colonel while opening his car's door.

"Thank you Roy. I've been a fool." Hohenheim's voice was languid. The younger threw a worried look over to him and shut the door again without taking a seat inside the car.

"You-"

Hohenheim knew what his friend was about to say- he would just tell him that there is nothing he would need to thank him for. Yet he knew there was, there always was. It's just that in a friendship, you don't always say "Thank you."

Hohenheim's look made clear to the Colonel that he had understood what he was about to say.

There was no need for more words and with a last glance at the big house behind them both got into the car and headed for the apartement that was said to be broken into.

"I'm somewhat getting sick of seeing corpses." Shuddered Mustang as he pulled up to the apartement.

"Yet you are one of those that kill." A faint note of bitterness underlay his words once again. Roy felt his stomach cramp a little at these words and followed his friend out of the car.

----

There was no sign of a violent entrance. "He must have known the murderer." Explained Roy taking a close look at the obviously undamaged door.

"Of course. It was _them_ after all." The faint note he had earlier still did not leave his friend's words. Roy felt uneasy but decided to pretend he did not notice the change.

Hohenheim picked up a few books and browsed them while Roy took a look into the kitchen.

"This man seriously needs a woman." Grunted Roy kicking some tins to the right.

"Why? Your kitchen is clean too and you do not have a wife." Retorted Hohenheim grinning. Roy felt the knot in his stomach opening at the sight of the grin he had missed on his friend's face the entire drive.

"The dung lingering around here dwarfes this kitchen even more." Added Roy pretending he did not hear this last statement.

"I do not need a woman." Snorted the Colonel and left the kitchen.

"Oh I'd better not tell that Riza." Chuckeled Hohenheim and followed.

"Jackpot." Exclaimed Mustang.

"Why? Found the reason why you are living a clean and neat life without the helping hand of a woman?" chuckeled the elder once again and patted his friend's shoulder.

"Nope." He grunted. "The corpse. I wonder though, why one would hang him up in his closet."


	14. Alphonse

The Colonel ordered an officer to bring the corpse into the military's pathology.

The Colonel roamed through some of the clothes hanging inside the closet. Nothing all too suspicous he assumed and dropped a jacket onto the bed behind him.

"Where might the hint be this time?" Roy scrutinized.

"Did this man have children?" interjected Hohenheim as though he over heard his friend'd question.

"No, I don't think so, why?" Mustang was puzzeled.

On the left side, hid behind a few socks was a toy and baby-shoes. Hohenheimlifted these two things and angled them in front of the other's face.

"A toy and baby-shoes. Now don't tell me this man collected these." Hohenheim smiled and reached behind him for a plastic bag to store the evidence in.

He remained on his spot for another while and faced the corpse as if he was expecting to find something unsual.

"What's the matter?" inquired the Colonel.

"I wonder." He paused. "What my oldest son might be up to right now."

"Why's that?" inquired Roy bending down to take a closer look at the bloodstain on the closet's floor.

"He is alone." Retorted the elder. His eyes looked sleepy, rather as if he was spacing out. Like the brain lost connection to the body and he was just babbling random things.

"Your kids are alone often lately."

"With a girl."

Roy had nearly dropped the tweezer he held in his right hand to pick up a lose hair strand. "Then why, are you still here?" Hohenheim did not miss the insinuating tone in his voice.

"You are right. I'm off. Tell me what you found later on." He retorted monontonely and left the room before the Colonel could even give his usual salute – even if it was just to annoy his friend.

----

Hohenheim took Roy's car knowing the Colonel would not have any trouble getting a lift home considering he was an high animal.

The blonde man sprinted to the door and knocked. Taking one last breath he smiled at the dainty lady opening the door in the best way possible. Though smiling at the moment seemed hard to him, since his son was in there alone with a girl, without anyone looking after him, and the woman that had tried to seduce him a couple of times alreay, was anything but normal – suspicious even.

Though he hated to admit it, he did not miss his wife lately as much as he did the first day. He even _forgot_ about her. Pacing from one hint to another there was no time to come up with a plan how to safe his wife. He knew, following the game was all he could do. Though it did not make much sense to him. All he did so far was finding corpses. He analyzed the hints and found the next dead body and it went on and on this way. Whatever was up with those things he found close to the corpses every time was a miracle to him, but he supposed it might just be a mood of those people that played with him.

Now that he thought about it, he felt like he needed to check on Alphonse too. Sighing deeply he decided he would go fetch Edward and head back home. "I might aswell have to give that little man a harangue."

Stretching and yawning Hohenheim slammed the door open. A blonde boy jerked off the bed hastily pulling up his unbuttoned jeans. His father tilted his head and have his sone one of those special looks. – "My son, you screwed up."

"Get dressed and come downstairs. I'll give you 3 minutes." The blonde's voice sounded dull and monotone. "I knew that had to happen sooner or later." He told himself shutting the door behind him. That was a lie as Hohenheim had to admit. He prayed he culd just skip this part. "Trisha…" he sighed.

----

The younger blonde came downstairs, dressed just as neatly as before. His father did not look into the youngers son and just headed for the door. "Thanks for the evening Amanda, I shall ."

The woman just nodded and ran up to the tall man hugging him one last time. "I will look forward to that." She caressed his cheek with his left and winked.

Hohenheim shuddered a little but nodded only. He had rather not known this woman's thoughts at the moment. "I wonder wheter this husband even exists." He wondered. Let's go." He added looking at Edward.

Hohenheim tried to bring up a certain topic while they sat in the car, knowing this might be his only chance – he could not escape after all, unless he was keen on falling onto the ground out of a driving car.

Though the elder had trouble starting. Actually he was sure there was nothing he would needed to talk about, he did not even want to. But. He was a father, he _had_ to. It wa shis duty. A duty he would have liked to ignore.

"Edward we need to talk." He began. On purpose he looked out of the window pretending to look at the landscape – as if you saw much at night.

"There is nothing we would need to talk about. I'm filled in into sex, contraception and all that. Thanks to school." Edward retorted placidly looking inot the other direction. Hohenheim was sure to have noticed this faint cold tone that underlay his words.

Hohenheim pulled their car up to the house. He was somewhat relieved. Smiling to himself, he drew out the keys and opened the door as he realized he did not lock the door in the first place since there was still Alphonse inside.

----

"Alphonse, we are back." Exclaimed Edward. "Sshht." Interjected his father. "He might be sleeping."

Edward just grunted and took a leave to his left as his figure suddenly froze.

"What's the-"

To their left Trisha's favourite plant was kicked over and soil covered the floor. Looking further to their right a few chairs were lying on the floor. Drawers were open, cuttlery spilled on the floor.

Hohenheim's heart raced. He rushed upstairs and bursted the door to the boy's bedroom open. No sigh of the younger.

"Edward!" he yelled. "Is Alphonse anywhere downstairs or in my office?"

Utter silence spread. Edward replied after a while. "No, why?"

Hohenheim had troble to stand straight and not sink to his knees. Why did they take his son too now?

"_They_ took him away from us too."

----

"So do you think they will start a second game?" Edward had finally broken the silence. Hohenheim had cleaned the kitchen not leaving any stain. It was unusually clean now.

His father had his hands folded on the table, his eyes blank. He had been staring at the same spot on the table the past 10 minutes already.

"No." he hesitated. "I believe this is supposed to be some kind of punishment. I did not carry out their little game like they wanted me to." Once again he paused still focusing the same spot. "I slacked off."

xxxx

Short chapter I know. But I felt like updating already.


	15. 4 Alchemists Roy's shame

Hohenheim paced through the kitchen, hands on his forehead. "No…if they got Alphonse." He hesitated looking at Edward sternly. "Then Trisha might not be alive anymore."

Edward looked as his father as though he was not quiet sure wheter to believe his old man. "Are you sure?" he inquired. Edward sounded a little too placid for hearing that his mother might be dead.

Hohenheim stopped and grabbed his son's shoulders and pulled him close. "I know it's hard to believe, but we'd better be prepared for the worst. Patting Ed's back he started sobbing.

Edward's stomach squirmed.

Suddenly Hohenheim pulled away and ran upstairs. Edward followed.

He watched his father roam through Alphonse's things throwing clothing on the floor and causing piles of books to fall to the ground. "Dad." Edward interjected trying to calm his father.

"I know Edward, I know we need tofind him quickly." Hohenheim panted throwing more and more things to the floor.

"No Dad, you…" he paused and swallowed. "You don't understand."

"I do Edward, I do. I know-"

"No you don't!" Interjected the younger. "Alphonse." He hesitated.

Hohenheim turned around to face his son. "What's the matter?" he asked in disbelief.

"Alphonse, he, well." He stammered.  
"Yes?" scrutinized Hohenheim, he was getting a little suspicious.

"He has not been kidnapped. I wanted to spend some time alone with the girl, but I knew Al would follow and just be annoying, so I gave him some pills." Edward faced the floor. His voice sounded annoyed.

"Pills?"

"Yes Pills, Dad. Though they were supposed to make him sleepy, I fear they did not have this effect on him."  
"So you are trying to tell me you gave your brother pills so you would have free way to make out with that girl." Hohenheim blinked with pricked up ears.

"Y-Yes." He stammered.

"And the chaos was caused by him too, in some kind of 'sleepwalking', am I getting that right?"

"I suppose." Nodded Edward. His eyes still did not meet his fathers.

Hohenheim sighed deeply. "You are just like me."

"Huh?" Edward lifted his head.

"Yes, I did the same to a friend of mine."

Edward's eyes widened so much that his father had to fear that his eyeballs might fall out.

"So Alphonse must be somewhere in the house I guess. Let's go look for him."

Edward nodded and went downstairs again. Hohenheim stayed upstairs and started to check the rooms. In the bathroom he finally found a brown bundle lying in the bathtub that turned out to be his son. Hohenheim grinned. "How cute. You look just like you did when you were a baby sleeping on my stomach, just that you are a lot bigger now."

"Dad, the Colonel is on the phone."

"Alright I'm coming. By the way, I found Al too."

"Yes?" Hohenheim answered. "What's the matter?"

He had been on the phone for at least 10 minutes when he finally hung up and reached for his jacket.

"I need to leave for a while. Make sure to clean this mess, bring your brother to bed and don't do anything stupid anymore. I'll be back as soon as I can."

----

"So what exactly did it say on the next hint?" inquired Hohenheim when he reached the house he was ordered to come to.

"4 Alchemists living their life all lively, one took too much o flife's nectar, then they were only three."

"Interesting. Alcohol is often referred to as life's nectar." Retorted the blonde man.

"But I doubt it would really have killed someone." Roy held the door open for Hohenheim to walk through.

"Then there must have been some poison added to it." Chuckeled the elder.

"The victim is over there. Around midnight a woman he had been making out with said he was behaving strange. Within the next 10 minutes he suddenly collapsed and was pronounced dead by a docotr that had been called."

"Is this doctor still present?"

"No." said Mustang leading Hohenheim into the room where the man was lying covered with a white cloth. "He left already, but I've got his number. He said he is ready to come here if we need him."

"Thank you for the information my dear friend." The blonde man bent down and lifted the cloth to take a look at the victim's face. "That's Dr. Claythorne." He said dropping the cloth again. "He was one of those men working at this project. He was not really one of those well-known."  
"You mean?"

"I would not have expected him to be killed." Explained Hohenheim turning around himself to take a closer look at the room.

"I see. Oh anyways, come with me. There's something you need to have a look at." Ordered the Colonel.

Hohenheim did as ordered and followed him into the kitchen. In the sink was something bloody and darkred. He took a closer look.

"It's a heart." Explained Roy.

"That much I could figured. It's not a human heart though, it's a pig's heart I suppose. It's bigger than an ordinary humans."

Mustang nodding reluctantly as though he had known beforehand it was not a humans led Hohenheim out of the kitchen again. "So what to do now?"

"I guess all we can do is search for the next hint. But I am sure we can postpone that to later. As of now I need to take care of my sons at home."

"How come? Did something happen?" scrutinized Roy raising an eyebrow at the elder.

Hohenheim retold the story on their way to the car.

"Teenagers." Sighed the Colonel.

"Oh come on. Don't tell me you were a good boy at that age." Gibed the elder.

"Oh I certainly was."

The blonde bursted out in laughter. "Now if you would not be good at disguising your would blush so much, you would be a menace to Rudolf the reindeer." He gibed again holding back his laughter.

"Don't be shy. We are grown men, there's nothing wrong about talking about your old days." He encouraged Roy to talk. Mustang softened and began. "Ok, but promise me not to tell anybody else. I fought my way to be a serious, well-respected man, so I would not want anyone to be spoiled by what I'm telling you now."

Hohenheim nodded, beaming.

"I used to be shy and just stay to myself, caught in my own world."

_A young man with short black hair sat on the couch on a party. The music was loud and people were dancing and shaking. Everyone except the boy. His attempt to dress up "cool" and "stylish" failed apparently. His jeans were pulled up to the point they hid his belly button, his shirt buttoned up to the last button and his shoes looked as though his grand-father wore them already. Even though his trousers looked as if they were ripped on purpose, it rather reminded someone of an attack of lawn mower than anything else._

_So he sat there, waiting for the everyone to be drunk enough so he could leave this party and tell his parents that it was cancelled earlier due to the parents early arrival. His parents suggested he should go and find himself a girl. Suddenly someone wabbeled towards him thudding onto the couch. "Have you seen the nutty compressor?" he asked. Roy feeling as though his ears were not functioning well enough anymore due to the loud music asked again "What movie? The nutty what?"_

"_Compressor." Retorted the other rolling off the couch._

"_I suppose you mean Professor."_

"_That's what I said!" exclaimed the other speaking drunkily._

"_Yeah whatever. You'd better go drink some water." Suggested Roy gazing off into the distance again. Maybe his parents were right and he should look for a potential girlfriend._

"_Hey, I'll go again, you can have my drink. It's good." Spoke the other drunkily again and wandered off._

_Roy slightly suspicious of what might be in the drink recalled his friend's words. "Alcohol gives you courage." He mumbeled. Drinking up whatever was in the glass Roy fought the urge to throw up once the burning stuff ran down his throat._

_He knew he would need a lot of courage if he were to talk to a girl so he wandered around looking for one of those tables where the drinks were standing on. Finally having stumbeled across one, Roy took a peek into every of the cups to see which appealed most to him. Deciding to try the golden stuff he drunk it as hastily as before. After the third table he felt some slight dizziness._

_Waddling to a group of girls Roy put his arm around one of the girls. "Hello. What's your name?"_

"_Alice." Came the reply. "Want to sit down on the couch for a while?" he asked and on the girl's approval he followed her to the couch occasionally bumping into a table or a chair._

_At last he managed to sit down next to Alice. Her hair was blonde and the ends curled up a little. Her lips were rosy and her eyes green. "Do you like it here?" he asked as intelligible as possible._

"_Yes, though it's a little crowdy, but it leaves a lot of opportunities open. There are quiet many bedrooms."_

_Bedrooms. That rang a bell in his mind. He woul djust need to get her into one of those bedrooms and he had free way._

"_Want to go have a look at one? I never saw them from the inside, I bet they are beautiful."_

_Alice raised and eyebrow at him. "What for?" she asked._

"_There." He stammered. "There, it's not so loud."_

_Alice nodded and smiled at him. Roy cheering inside followed her upstairs._

_Eventually they made it into a fairly nice looking room with a queen-size bed._

_Roy sat down and patted a free spot next to his. "Come, sit down."_

_The girl did as ordered and smiled at him as she took her seat. An ordinar yboy would have been all giddy and nervous about this situation, Roy though was relaxed. "Alcohol is late." He mumbeled. "What?"_

"_Great, I said Alcohol is great." He repeated._

_Suddenly Roy pushed Alice so she would lie down and crawled onto her._

"_Oh. Are you sure?" she giggled._

"_Yes I am." Unbuckling his belt he let her stride off his pants._

_Slowly his hand shifted under her shirt touching her hot skin. Alice sat up and leanedt closer to his face and so did Roy. Ready to kiss her he suddenly felt a stange taste in his mouth. Alice closed her eyes and just in the very second Roy threw up right into her shirt's neck. Blushing furiously Alice screamed and jerked off the bed. Since ever then he was called the "Women sickener."_

Hohenheim held back his laugher asgood as he could. Mustang obviously noticing this and sighed. "No need to hide. Come on laugh, laugh at my youthful foolishness." He grunted.

---

Sorry for the late upadte, but would not have let me upload. :) I hope you'll enjoy it anyways. I'm happy about every review, so please review!

Considering my story is nearing its end soon, want to hear about Hohenheim's youth too? Maybe I can come up with something.


	16. No giving up

Hohenheim got out of the car and waved his friend good-bye. "Good bye, you bad boy." he gibed and laughed once again. Mustang obviously annoyed about that regretted having told his friend about this incident. "Next time, I want to hear a story about youth. And it'd better be something embarassing too." threatened Roy and drove away.

Hohenheim stepped inside and found noone present. "I guess they are alseep already." he thought to himself and threw his jacket over the chair in the kitchen.

Fetching a little snack he went to bed.

----

His hand reached for the ringing cellphone. "Elric here, what's the matter?"

Roy had rung him up. "Hey man, I found the next hint. Care to come and take a look?"

"Where am I supposed to come to?" grunted Hohenheim sitting up straight and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with the back of his hand.

"The house we found the victim at yesterday?" he repeated. "Alright then. Hang on, I'll be right there."

Sighing once again Hohenheim swung his legs out of the bed and dressed.

Tiptoeing down into the hall he fetched his jacket, the car keys and left a quick note. _"Am out. Back tomorrow morning. Dad"_

Hohenheim pulled his car up to the house he had previously been at. Stepping inside a strong smell hit his face. "God Mustang, what is that?" he exclaimed covering his nose with his sleeve.

"Well that is to be expected when a dead is lying on the floor day and night." his companion chuckeled.

"Come and take a look at that." Mustang added and lifted the victim's shirt. Onto the his chest it was carved. "Three was the left-over crew, one was a traitor, then they were only two." read Hohenheim.

"How disgusting, carved into a man's chest." snarled the elder looking away. "I'm surprised to even managed to write this pretty long message on there."

"Well yes, the first part is written on his chest, the rest of the rhyme on his back. They are getting desperate it seems." explained the elder in a placid way, that made Roy feel uneasy. He sighed. "So this leaves two Alchemists. One must survive, right?"

"I suppose. And the one surviving-"

"Is the one who has your wife." interjected Roy.

"I'm not even sure wheter she is still alive." Hohenheim dropped his face into his hands. He sat down on a chair and sighed.

"Hohenheim-" his friend tried to comfort him.

"Stop it!" he exclaimed throwing a vase to the floor that bursted into thousand pieces. "What if she was not alive to begin with! All we do lately is running after hints." he sobbed. "Who – I ask you – who guarantee's me that I will see her again alive?" His sobbing got heavier and heavier.

Roy knealt down besides his friend and patted his shoulder. "Look." he hesitated. "You've come this far, digged in the deepest shit only to give up now?"

Hohenheim rushed to his feet and paced through the room, his right hand rested on his forehead. "I know." he sobbed. "I know. And I thank you a lot for going this way with me."

"There is-" the Colonel began but was cut short by the elder again. "No." he chocked on his words. "No. My sons, they believe it's ok. But they are wrong." his voice trembeled. "Nothing is ok. We are a victim of humankind's sickest people."

"Tell me then, Hohenheim. If you are so sure it's of no use, going on that is. Do you really want to admit your defeat then? Think back, what did you do so far? The things you saw, can you ignore them so easily. It's harsh, yes it is, and it's not nice, but we've seen so many dead, that two more wont change anything anymore. We are too close to give up, are we not?" Roy explained. His voice was calm and gentle. He could imagine how he must felt. He would have given up a lot earlier if it was for his beloved to be kidnapped. 'I would have given up after the first two.' he told himself.

"You are right. Sorry my friend for being a fool. Maybe it's the bad boys that have most faith." Hohenheim chuckeled.

"Am I just surmising or are you making fun of me every chance you get?" noticed Roy.

"Conceit would require that you've got imagination." gibed Hohenheim.

Roy grunted and changed the subject. "So what to do now? This hint obviously is not an easy one."

"I know it isn't. Maybe all we can do this time is sit back and relax, sooner or later a dead will appear." retorted Hohenheim. "Besides, the dead wont run away."

"You are kidding me." frowned the Colonel.

"I am certainly not, my friend. Seems as if this time, we got nothing to do."

"Feels scary." retorted the Colonel still waiting for Hohenheim to tell him it's a joke.

"I know it does. Now that I think about it, maybe I am one of those that are supposed to get killed too. After all, I was part of them." Hohenheim touched his chin, tilting his head a little.

Roy's jaw dropped open. "Now tell me already you are kidding me! That can't be. Why should they play this damned game and kill you in the end?" he yelled, seizing his friend's arm.

"Is it all that surprising? You and I, we have seen the ways of their killing. And don't forget, I reckon, noone ever played this game to its end."

Roy swallowed and let go of the elder's arm. "You are officially crazy now."

"I-"

"No forget it!" interjected Mustang. "You are just a foolish old man." snarled the younger and turned his back to him.

Hohenheim cleaned his glasses with his sleeve. "God you've been freaking out a few minutes ago and now you are so god damn calm, someone could carry your kids away and you would not move ya finger!" Breathing heavy Roy stared at the elder. No sign of movement. "So?"

"I have been thinking."

"Thinking?" Roy thudded onto his knees. "I wasted my prescious breath, yelling at someone, who has just been." he swallowed. "_thinking_?" Looking up at Hohenheim as though he expected to hear the world's best plan, Hohenheim sat down and retorted placidly while putting on his glasses. "Yes, thinking, indeed." he nodded. "Traitor. A friend of mine, who I barely interacted with-"

"Why are you calling him a friend then?" interjected Roy, still sitting in the same position on the ground. The elder sighed. "_Somebody_, who I barely interacted with, was called Tutor, but for fun everyone called him Traitor. I reckon, he is our next victim."

"That's pretty far-fetched."

"Remember the woman we found in the old cellar with red lips? Now tell me finding her there, neatly dressed, was not far-fetched."

Roy grunted. "Ok then, so let's assume the next victim is this Tutor-Traitor guy. What shall we do? We can't save him anyways."

"I know. Mind telling me more about your youth?" chuckeled the blonde, beaming down at the younger from his armchair.

"Today, it's your turn."


End file.
